MercenarieS: The Collared
by Rising Dragon
Summary: "This world's counterfeit 'peace' had begun to unravel. I saw that as Ailotana's golden opportunity."
1. A Nonexistent Choice

_Author's Note: This story takes place during the tail end of StrikerS, during the time gap between Jail's defeat and Riot Force 6's disbandment. While yes, there are original characters in this work, the original cast has it's place in here and it's an important role for them. For the few still interested... I hope you enjoy._

It had already been over a day since the fateful and brutal attack on Ailotana, and yet the sun still seemed to struggle to pierce through the ominous, black clouds that drifted overhead. And with evening fast approaching, it was like the sun had given up on this futile battle against the bleak weather, and as it set, the destroyed settlement was painted in orange that glowed against the black. Nearly all of the structures in the settlement were charred and blown apart in the attack, leaving them gutted and broken, with the streets full of debris—clean-up efforts had been hazardous so far. A wind cut through the site, but it offered no coolness or comfort to the beleaguered survivors or the relief crew from the Time-Space Administration Bureau. It was uncomfortably warm and humid, adding to the miserable atmosphere and the terrible conditions the survivors were facing.

Junior Enforcer Teana Lanster sighed and brushed a strand of reddish-orange hair from her face, doing her best to ignore the wind that was blowing through the ruins of Ailotana. Behind her, in the nearby valley, several tents had been erected to help care for the injured survivors that the rescue squad had been able to recover from the destroyed buildings. But for every survivor they had managed to find, there seemed to be three more body bags, which were all laid out a short distance from the tents.

But it was what lay before her that had caught her interest, in the plain that lay just before the entrance to Ailotana. Off in its center, surrounded by mages in protective clothing, stood a massive construct, nearly twice the size of a full-grown man. The sleek armor plating was easily seen from the distance, perhaps because of the eerie, foul glow of magical energy that, even now, still seemed to burn off of it like a funeral pyre. The amount of magic was so dense, and so dangerous, that nearing it without the protection of a barrier jacket and proper shielding spells would grant the unlucky ones something akin to radiation poisoning.

The same radiation poisoning that now afflicted nearly all of the survivors of Ailotana.

"Teana."

The girl turned to see her superior officer walking up the hill to her. She nodded to Fate briefly as she crested the hill and stopped beside her, then turned her gaze back to the armor below.

"Have they discovered anything new?" the older woman asked, also looking down to where the mages worked on purging the harmful magic from the area.

"We've managed to identify the armor's wearer," Teana replied slowly, bringing up the file in a holographic window. "It's him, Fate. I'm sorry."

Fate's expression seemed to fall slightly, disappointed at the knowledge. "I see. Any idea why he'd attack this place? I thought the two of them were friends, of a sort."

"We're still not sure," Teana replied. "His Device wasn't on his person, even though the armor seems to require one to operate. We think it was taken after his death."

The other Enforcer nodded briefly. "Let me know if you discover anything else. Especially anything pertaining to—"

She was quickly interrupted by the yell of another one of the officers on site. "Ma'am, you'd better come and see this!"

Both women turned at the sound of the voice, which came from the direction of the medical campsite. "Stay here and keep an eye on the investigation, Teana," Fate ordered softly.

The younger woman quickly nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Fate proceeded back down the hill and joined the other TSAB official before they made their way towards the camp at a brisk pace. "We've managed to identify one of the survivors, ma'am," the officer informed her as they approached. "He's in recovery right now, but the medics say he's able to talk now."

"Understood," Fate replied, nodding once. "Maybe now we can find out what happened here. Show me where he is."

"Right away, ma'am."

He took her to one of the smaller tents used for patients with more serious injuries, and reported to the guard stationed at its entrance, while Fate proceeded inside. Two medics were watching over a single elderly man resting in the wheeled bed in the center. I.V. lines had been administered to the back of his hands, and the skin around his balding head looked slightly mottled and unnaturally pale. His breath was coming in long rasps, though he didn't seem to look like he was suffering from a breathing problem. His eyes, thankfully, were alert, and despite his fragile condition, he shifted to rise as he spotted Fate enter the tent.

"Please, rest," she said to the man, one Emil Valare, motioning for him to lie back down. Valare considered it for a brief moment and acquiesced.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you were the one who investigated this catastrophe, Ms. Harlaown," he said amiably, settling back down. "Not with everything that's happened lately."

Fate nodded. "You witnessed the fight, didn't you?" She asked, sitting at the corner of the bed. Valare nodded. "You know who's responsible for this tragedy."

"I do. It's a shame, really," Valare said wistfully, looking off to the side. "He showed such promise, only to come to an end like this. At the very least, those two managed to stop him."

"We never really knew everything that happened since we met him," Fate said quietly—they both knew it wasn't the one in the armor that she spoke of. A nurse approached and began writing off a reading on the machine Valare was hooked up to. "He never told us, and she never broke his confidence, even during their time with us."

"That doesn't surprise me. He never was much for other people."

"Perhaps you can tell us, then," suggested the Enforcer. "We need to know, so we can figure out where to go from here. Everything, from the beginning."

Emil glanced at the woman, only to see her patient face. Slowly, he nodded. "I suppose we owe you that much.

"Some time ago, Ailotana lost its greatest scientific mind. It was the death of a legend, and with it, a mass pilfering of his technology," he started, clasping spindly fingers together as he recollected. "The man she saved was an unrivaled mercenary, and we paired him with an Intelligent Device that Research and Development had been using in their experiments. Our settlement fell into a sharp financial crisis after we lost our edge in the technology market. Relying on a mercenary was the inevitable resolution to keep food on the table."

The man suddenly began coughing, and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth while the fit subsided. Fate looked concerned and made to rise, but he quickly waved at her to stay seated. After a moment, he was able to continue. "I used that man… and through him, her. I make no claim of righteousness. He was simply the only one who could have made it happen."

**Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha MercenarieS:  
><strong>**THE COLLARED**

**CHAPTER ONE:  
>A Nonexistent Choice<strong>

It had been several months—close to half a year, really—since the death of Professor Avon Leganza, but Ailotana was still feeling the sting of his passing. The man, a scientist known for his prowess at developing and refining cutting-edge Device technology, was the greatest, but unfortunately the only asset the settlement had since the civil war had begun to die down and the Time-Space Administration Bureau reasserted itself on the newly-Administered world of Exavil. Since then, various companies and corporations had begun to move into the resource-rich planet, despite warnings and from the Bureau that hostilities on the planet had yet to come to a complete end.

The various towns and cities that had come out of the battles had to rely on these companies to rebuild their failing economies, but as such, there were still tensions in the air as those who were against the support of the TSAB waited to prey upon those that had. And Ailotana had just become one such viable target—with Leganza's passing, a nightmare of paperwork and procedure had left most of his research and discoveries taken by the corporations that had once worked alongside the man, leaving the settlement with little else. Now, without the help of Leganza's achievements in Device development, Ailotana looked to be on the verge of bankruptcy.

So what to do? That was the question that Emil Valare currently faced.

Valare had worked as both an assistant and an advisor to Avon Leganza, having extensive knowledge on Device creation and repair, but his true talents lay in politics, and he had aided Leganza in making the most favorable contracts with the growing corporations inhabiting Exavil, seeing what schemes might be in the making and guiding him and Ailotana out of harm's way. Now, with Leganza dead, he was the most qualified person to get the settlement out of the mess it was in.

_But how?_ he wondered. _Due to the loophole in those first contracts, the corporations have left us with practically nothing to work with!_

He shook his head in disgust for the way the companies worked. Before he and Avon had met and begun working together, it seemed Avon had unwittingly made several foolish deals that resulted in certain companies receiving the rights to his advancements due to his untimely demise. Were it not for the thorough investigation into the cause of his death, Valare could almost believe the man had been assassinated by one of the more greedy corporations.

Sighing, Emil returned to his work, soon taking up documents of recent events on Exavil. As he pondered the options he had before him, he thought back to the times of the civil war, when numerous indigenous people suddenly and violently protested the introduction of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Caught off-guard during the conflict, the Bureau was not able to always extend its protection to far-out allies, and as the war raged on, many were forced to make due by hiring protection elsewhere, in the form of mercenary mages armed with advanced Devices and a plethora of combat spells. The corporations also used such mercenaries in their own private battles.

_And as luck would have it,_ Emil noted as he flipped the stack to one of the more recent reports, _We currently have one mercenary staying here right now…_

In the past couple of weeks, Ailotana had become the impromptu home of a mercenary that had been fighting on Exavil since the beginning of the civil war. Caught up in the vicious battles that had occurred in growing frequency, his Storage Device had been damaged beyond all repair, and he had been forced to retire. But without the battlefield, he had nowhere else to go, and no way of life, and many would be terrified of such a person roaming about the countryside.

It was much to everyone's surprise that Leganza's only daughter had taken him in and offered him a home in the settlement.

Perhaps there was still a way to keep Ailotana on the map. Emil knew that for all of the things that had been taken after Avon's death, they still had one item of importance, and now with this man, there may be hope for them all.

Emil sat back in his chair, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. _Yes, perhaps it will work. Mercenaries are hard to come by these days, and the Kaiser knows there's much need for them here._

A single sent message later, Valare looked up from his work when someone briefly knocked at the door. "Come in," he invited, knowing who it was. The door opened to allow a young woman dressed in the same technician uniform worn by most Leganza Tech employees in the facility. The light blue fabric of the uniform contrasted nicely with the woman's short auburn hair, and gray eyes looked at Emil with an expectant expression. "You called for me, Emil?" she asked, cocking her head to the side a bit.

"Ah, Mesia," Valare greeted, smiling at the woman. He motioned for her to take a seat. "How are you doing, my dear?"

"I'm doing fine, Emil, you know that," she returned as she took a seat on the opposite side of his desk. "It's… been a while since my father died. I'm learning to move on."

Leganza's death had hit everyone hard, but Mesia the hardest of all. He had been the only remaining member of her family, and upon his passing, the corporations practically stripped the poor woman of her father's legacy and any inheritance that might've made her life more bearable. Now, she was stuck working as an operator and technician in her father's laboratory facility.

"I'm glad to hear it," Emil said sincerely. "It's been a hard time for us all."

Mesia simply nodded, appreciating Emil's concern but not requiring it—many people in Ailotana had given her their condolences, but now it was time to move on from that chapter in her life. Instead, it was time to focus on what the man before her wanted.

"Was there something you needed, Emil?" she asked, clasping her hands together in her lap.

"Yes. It's about the man you brought to the settlement a few weeks ago," Valare answered, nodding once. "I haven't had much time to really sit down and speak with him at length, and I was curious as to how he was acclimating to Ailotana."

"Roas? Well… he seems to be getting along well enough," Mesia replied, sounding the tiniest bit confused. He'd never hinted that he wasn't satisfied about his new circumstances. "He's a bit quiet, but I haven't heard any complaint from him."

"Well now, that is comforting to know," Valare said, nodding. "I have been speaking to some of the townsfolk about them, and they have been concerned. Understandable, considering who and what he is."

"He's not a bad person, Emil," Mesia countered in defense. "I can tell he's not—"

"Dangerous? Mesia, dear, I know you're vouching for him, but the man _is_a mercenary, and one who's been fighting on Exavil for a long time now. He's as dangerous as they come, and you mustn't forget that."

The girl's eyes hardened a bit, a sure sign she was going to be stubborn about something. She opened her mouth, meaning to argue back, but Valare lifted up a hand to forestall her. "Now, now, Mesia. For the record, I believe he means us no harm just as much as you do. The people are just concerned, that's all—he's been seen wandering around the settlement, looking restless. He's been rather antisocial about it, rarely responding to any greeting beyond a simple nod."

Mesia's expression softened somewhat, a bit affirmed by what her father's partner said concerning Roas' character. "I try to keep him company when I'm not working," she said. "Whenever I asked him how he's doing, he's always said he's been doing fine. I get the feeling he likes it here, so I don't see why he'd make everyone else think he's a problem."

Valare nodded understandingly, having a theory as to why the man would be acting how he was. And if that theory was correct, then he could use it to his advantage. "Perhaps he needs something to do, Mesia," he volunteered. "Without his Storage Device, he has no means of seriously continuing his former occupation, and I haven't heard of him applying for a job anywhere else."

"You think that might be it?" she asked of him. He could almost see the gears turning in her head—he had no idea what it was that made the girl so interested in Roas, she was far beyond the age where her hormones would influence her every interaction with men and she had a good head on her shoulders—but if it'd help Ailotana, then his partner's offspring and her fascination with Roas will have to be as much of a pawn in this as the man she'd welcomed into it.

"Why don't you go talk to him about finding a job here, in the lab?" Valare suggested. "If he's interested, have him join me, and we'll have a talk about it. I'm certain that everyone will warm up to him while he's under our care."

After a moment, Mesia nodded. "All right, Emil. He might like that. Are you interested in him as a Device tester?"

"Something like that, yes," he replied, nodding. There was one Device that he was certain Roas could make use of…

* * *

><p>Leganza Tech Enterprises. Such was the name of the four-story facility that stood before Roas Lacetti, according to the polished metal sign on the property lawn. It was the most advanced-looking structure this side of Ailotana's river, and undoubtedly the grandest of the buildings in the entire settlement—it looked distinctly out of place, like something belonging on Mid-Childa, rather than Exavil. Still, it's not like that should concern him too much, especially with Mesia suggesting he find a job there to kill the time. Sighing, he moved past the sign and down the path to the main entryway.<p>

The receptionists at the front desk all looked surprised to see him there. He wasn't too surprised at that; most people in Ailotana tended to give him such looks when he showed up. Roas paid it little mind as he approached them, lifting a hand in greeting. "Mesia said that Valare wanted to see me," he said, hoping they knew about it. After the surprise wore off, one of the receptionists nodded rapidly.

"Yes, he informed us of a possible meeting, Mr. Lacetti," the woman told him. "We'll notify him right away."

Roas nodded once, and waited off to the side as the woman summoned up a holographic window for Emil Valare. He was somewhat tempted to call the man up himself, but he knew that it'd be far more polite to the people who were graciously allowing him to stay in their town—the townsfolk had been upset and angry at the battle that Mesia had found him in had taken place just nearby, a few miles away from the settlement itself. Such occurrences were common on Exavil, and just about all of them were unwelcome. The mercenary knew it wouldn't take much to make them change their minds, and he'd rather not find out just how much it'd take. It was hard enough finding a place to stay on the planet as of late.

He was broken out of his reverie by the receptionist as she closed down the screen. "Mr. Lacetti? Mr. Valare will see you now. Please proceed through those doors and follow the lighted path to his workstation."

The mercenary nodded his thanks and turned towards the referenced doors—two guards, each with pistols strapped to their hips, were standing on either side of it. He paid them no mind as he approached, and one of them unlocked the double doors for him so he could step through. As it closed behind him, he looked about in the hall, finding the path he was supposed to take. Sure enough, the tiled floor beneath his feet had a blue stripe running down the center of it, forking off towards each split and doorway. When he stepped into the hallway, that stripe started lighting up, heading down to the right towards an elevator.

That elevator automatically took Roas up to the third floor of the facility, and he continued the path, past mildly-surprised technicians and scientists to one particular door on the floor. There were no security guards here, so he had to let himself in with the keypad next to the door.

He immediately found Valare inside, alone with the room. He was wearing a technician uniform and a lab coat now, sitting at a chair while looking over a vast wealth of information displayed on a computer screen. Parts were strewn about over a work bench, each one having a separate scanning spell delve through it. Valare quickly noticed Roas' presence, and brightened considerably at seeing him. "Ah, there you are!" he greeted, standing up. "Come in, I was hoping I'd see you soon."

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" asked the mercenary as he walked in, letting the door shut behind him. He shook the hand that Valare offered him out of courtesy. Valare got a good look of him as he did so—like many soldiers, Roas had a hard look about him, which contrasted a bit to the decidedly bland uniform he'd been loaned. The brownish-blond hair and dark blue eyes also marked him as a foreigner; few native people on Exavil had such traits. It was little wonder the man tend to stand out in Ailotana.

"Straight to the point, I see. Yes, it's come to my attention that the people around here think you could use something to do," he said with a nod. "Now there's nothing wrong with that, but even as nice as Ailotana is, I imagine it must get boring for you."

Roas shrugged in response. It wasn't that bad, but he was simply used to fighting. It'd be a long while since he'd gone so long without being assigned a mission by one of the companies residing on the planet. "It hasn't been that bad," he told Valare. "They're just paranoid that I'm going to do something stupid."

"Yes, I can see why you'd think that. Still, there's nothing wrong with having something to do. After all, if you do plan on staying, you'll need to find a job anyway."

"So what've you got in mind?"

"Before we get into that, I wanted you to see something," Valare said, motioning him over as he took his seat once more. He waved at the screen, causing the data to clear and an image for a device in its standby mode to appear in its place. "Tell me, do you know what this Device is?"

Roas joined the man and looked on as snippets of data scrolled across the screen, likely pertaining to the device. The view window displayed the device opening up into its default form, a long staff similar to a battleaxe or pole arm plated in black. He recognized it easily enough.

"It's an Intelligent Device," he said, getting a nod from Valare. "Bardiche, I think it's called. One of the Bureau's top officers wields it."

"Quite right. Bardiche here is the Device used by Captain Fate T. Harlaown of Lost Property Riot Force Six," Valare explained as Roas nodded. "The new force being implemented by the Bureau when it comes to Lost Logia." He spared the mercenary a look. "I take it you've met her before? On the battlefield, perhaps?"

Roas snorted, surprising the man. "Not at all. I may be good, but I don't think I've reached her level yet. No, that woman's an Enforcer, and a damn good one from what I can tell. Any mercenary who wants to have a lasting career knows to keep track of the Enforcers, her in particular. We're not exactly legal, after all, and she's probably the last person we'd want to run afoul of."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right, that would be a good policy to keep," Valare commented. It was good to know that the man before him wasn't overconfident in his skills.

"Why are you showing me this, anyway?" Roas asked.

"Well, Captain Harlaown's Device is a bit unique as far as Intelligent Devices go. As you know, most of them are primarily used for advanced spellcasting. Bardiche, however, has been designed with melee combat in mind. In fact, it's said that it's on par with most Armed Devices in use these days, possibly even superior to them."

Slowly, the mercenary nodded, agreeing with the assessment. Intelligent Devices never were ideal for close-in combat, especially with their advanced A.I. installed. Never mind the usual stigmas on them, such Devices were simply better suited for long-range bombardment magic or combat support roles on the battlefield.

"This one, from what I've learned, has been like this even before it was used as a prototype for the Bureau's cartridge systems."

"What?" Roas asked. He hadn't heard _that_ particular tidbit before.

"Oh yes," Valare said, nodding, bringing up a control panel. A few commands were entered, and the main screen displayed a close-up of the installed CVK-792 Cartridge System in action. "While it's well known that it is one of a number of Intelligent Devices equipped with the system, not many people know that Bardiche and another well-known Device, Raising Heart, served as prototypes for adjusting the system for safer use. Still, Bardiche was notable for its melee combat capabilities even before it had the system installed. Nothing spectacular compared to your average Armed Device, mind you, but…"

"… still an accomplishment as far as Device making goes," Roas finished for him. He stepped closer to the screen to get a better look at the parts load-out of the Device. "Huh… that's a lot of non-standard equipment. This was custom-built?"

Valare nodded. "From the looks of it, yes. It's not one of the standard models produced by any of the corporations in the Device-making market," he said. "Avon always hoped that he could one day meet the person who constructed Bardiche, but I fear he never got the chance before he passed away."

"You still haven't answered my question," Roas said, turning back to the man. He folded his arms, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, I suppose I haven't. Well, one of the things me and Avon were working on before his untimely death was an Intelligent Device based loosely on Bardiche. It too is nothing standard… you won't find anything like it on Leganza Tech's production lines. And thankfully, those blasted contracts that he made before we met didn't include this, so it's one of the few things we still have under our control."

Once more, Valare cleared the screen and brought up a different Device. Somewhat similar to Bardiche's standby form, this one looked arrow-shaped in appearance, though Roas noted that the assigned dimensions made it narrower and somewhat smaller in appearance; likely convenient for use as a pendant when not in use. A green lens in the shape of a sharp V slashed down the middle of the silver plating, likely as a communication interface for the Device. Beneath the image was an informational bank and parts load-out, as well as the Device's designated name in flowery Mid-Childan script: LANCEL.

"Unfortunately, our current low funds means we can't outfit it with your standard Belkan Cartridge System," Valare said, noting the mercenary's examination. "Have you had any experience using that part?"

"Not really," came the reply. "I was taught using the Mid-Childa style of magic, and the CVK-792 part requires more maintenance than I have the funding for. Wasn't worth trying to get one off the black market, and I figured I'd be better off honing my skills before I upgrade to something more powerful."

Valare nodded, looked appreciative of Roas' wisdom. Now here was a man who took his job, however legally questionable it may be, quite seriously. He had familiarized himself with the intricate workings of different Devices, which means the man paid careful attention to detail—likely needed the know-how when identifying his opponents' capabilities. Surely anyone who lasted this long in Exavil's civil conflict would've faced other skilled mercenaries in combat. It'd make selling this idea to him easier… or possibly harder, if Roas was shrewder than he let on.

"So, what?" asked the man in question. "You want me to test it out or something? I'm sure you have people here who are more qualified in that manner. People who _have_ actual qualifications, in fact."

"Oh, you're right about that," Valare replied. "But I didn't invite you here to invite you as a Device tester, whatever Mesia may have said to you."

One more command locked down the room and shut off the security cameras for the chamber, causing Roas to still and arch an eyebrow at the man.

"I'll be frank with you, Mr. Lacetti. Right now, Ailotana is in a bad place. Avon was our only true source of innovation, and when he died the corporations he had agreements with stripped us of anything we could've used to keep ourselves afloat. If things don't change, Ailotana will lose all of its value and it'll only be a matter of time before the fighting happens here, or one of the corporations decides our land is prime real estate and makes sure we empty out of it."

Roas frowned, and Valare could tell the man could see where this was going. Yes, this man was a smart one, that much was certain. He pressed on, hoping that this offer would be worth it. "It was a stroke of luck that Mesia found you and offered you a place among the settlement. Even more so that you no longer have a Device to continue your missions with," he continued. "With a mercenary, we could offer services to people who need them in exchange for a fee. We start bringing income back into the settlement and keep ourselves useful in the eyes of everyone else. In exchange, you have a role to fulfill, and you aren't forced to adapt to a new line of work. And, as I've just shown, I can provide you with access to a Device that I can assure you is far more advanced than the old Storage Device you were using before it was destroyed."

Okay, this wasn't what he was expecting when he came here. "You can't be serious," Roas said, standing up straighter. "You really think my help alone would be enough to keep this place out of trouble?"

"With the proper choices made, yes. It is risky, I know, but at this point, I honestly don't see what other choice we have," Valare, said, leaning back in his seat and with his hands steepled together. "The people here have nowhere else to go while the fighting is still going on. They have homes here, built their lives here. And I'll be damned if I let those blasted companies take that away from them!"

"And what about the Administration Bureau?" Roas countered, looking even more serious than before. "The only reason they haven't fully come down on the corporations is because they've yet to trace us mercenaries back to them, but you—this place—it won't be so lucky. If the Bureau finds out about you hiring me on for this, you'll have Enforcers crawling down your throat before you can destroy the evidence."

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Valare said immediately. "And not something you have to worry about—you leave dealing with the Bureau to me, Mr. Lacetti, and I promise you it'll all work out. And even if it doesn't… well, I doubt anyone here has the capability to stop you from escaping, with or without a Device at your command. Really, my boy, you have nothing to lose from such an arrangement, and everything to gain."

Roas broke his gaze from the scheming technician, weighing the options in his head. He did somewhat believe that the man could pull off keeping such an operation a secret from the Administration Bureau; Emil Valare was well-known for being a shrewd negotiator in business politics. Still, that wouldn't be enough to completely remove all the risk of such a deal.

Still… this kind of thing was really the only thing he'd ever been good at, and the Bureau was never something he was too keen on working for. Not as one of their soldiers. His defeat still stung, and this man was now offering him a chance at returning to his old life, with even more power than before. It'd help him return the kindness Mesia and many in Ailotana had shown him already. It would do little his reputation in the long run, as well… Roas seriously doubted he was in the TSAB's good graces at the moment, and even if he was an unknown to them currently, if they found out he'd be in a remarkably unfavorable position anyway.

He spared a glance at the screen, examining the Intelligent Device displayed on it one more time.

_Let's hope I don't regret this,_ he thought, making his decision.

* * *

><p>"Don't you look thrilled."<p>

Mesia looked up from the park bench she sat on, only to scramble and catch the canned drink tossed to her. She gave Roas an unamused look as he walked over to the bench to sit, and cracked open the tab on the can. "Today's been weird," she said before taking a sip. "Emil wanted me to drop the project I'm working on and drag out our Intelligent Device from storage. I can't understand why."

Roas merely gave the woman a sidelong glance and took a swig from his own drink. He knew this was going to happen; it had only been a matter of time. The woman continued, leaning back into the bench. "There's been rumors flying about too, it's ridiculous," she revealed. "Some crazy story about the lab hiring a mercenary. Some of them are even saying that you're the one they're hiring!"

The technician shook her head in exasperation, clearly finding the idea ridiculous. Roas, however, simply looked on, knowing better than to assuage his friend's fears with falsities. Lowering the can from his lips, he asked, "Would my hiring for such a role be that much of a problem?"

The woman looked over at him for a moment before realization dawned. "Oh, Roas, you can't be serious," she cried, dismayed.

His response was to look off and take a quick swig of his drink. "Valare wanted me to come in later today to pick up the Device," he said after lowering the can.

Mesia uttered a soft curse, looking confused. "Why in the world are you being hired on as a mercenary?" she demanded.

"Because if Valare's to be believed, Ailotana doesn't really have any other choice," responded her companion. He went on to explain the information that the businessman had revealed to him concerning the settlement's state. By the time he was done, the woman had grown quiet.

"He never mentioned…" she started, looking distraught. "Never even _hinted _that…"

Abruptly, the woman stood up, causing Roas to blink in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"To the lab," she said, sounding firm. "I need to talk to Emil about this."

He sighed. Well, he might as well go pick up Lancel… "Alright, let's go then," he said as he stood up to follow her. "I have business there anyway."

* * *

><p>Roas had expected something like this to happen, seeing Valare and Mesia engage in a heated discussion in front of the lab room's monitor. The technician that had been aiding the man preparing the Intelligent Device was beside him, looking anxiously between his two colleagues.<p>

"Think about what you're doing!" the redhead exclaimed, almost throwing her arms up in the air. "If the Administration Bureau finds out, this lab would be history!"

"A risk that needs to be taken," Emil replied calmly. "I assure you, every precaution will be taken regarding the Bureau, and any of the corporations who hire our services will want to keep it on the down-low from them anyway."

"Oh? And what about Roas?" demanded the redhead. "You've read the report, you know how badly the other mercenaries wanted him dead! There's no way he can do this alone!"

Roas lifted an eyebrow that that—though he supposed it was true enough. That last mission had nearly seen his death due to the unexpected amount of resistance from the mercenary, or rather, the mercenaries that had been hired by his target for their protection. Still, it was a risk in this kind of industry. He knew that well enough.

"Relax, dear girl," Emil waved her down. "I'm not so foolish enough to send the man out alone. I know for certain that you'll be able to provide him the best support possible."

Mesia blinked, caught off guard. "… excuse me?"

"Well, you have all the qualifications necessary for such a task," Valare explained, smiling. "You're intelligent and a quick thinker, you're familiar with all of Lancel's components and technical capabilities, and you're quite skilled with barrier and teleportation spells… you'd be perfect as Mr. Lacetti's operator."

"That'd be useful," the aforementioned mercenary spoke up, drawing their attention before Mesia could formulate a response. "All the good operators are usually snapped up by the Bureau."

Mesia sputtered, still surprised by the sudden turn in the argument. "W-well it's true that the Bureau offered me a position, but—"

"That only goes to show how well-suited you'd be for this position," Valare butted in, causing the woman to blush slightly. Roas was only nodding approval, and it came to Mesia's attention that she'd walked right into that little trap. Her face colored in irritation, but before she could continue her argument, Emil placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This isn't a decision that I made lightly, Mesia, but it's the only option we have now," he said soothingly. "We need him to make sure this settlement stays safe, and to do that I need you to make sure he stays safe."

Mesia released a breath. "I just don't understand why this needs to be done," she admitted. "Ailotana can't really be that bad off, could it?"

"If we don't prove the settlement worthy in some way, it's only a matter of time before we lose it entirely to corporate politics," Emil said gravely. "I'll explain it to you in detail later. For now, it's time for us to give Mr. Lacetti his new Device. Jerome, if you please?"

The assistant standing beside started, then nodded quickly. He turned to the wall, which showed uniform rows of small metal storage containers. He brought up a holographic screen and inputted a few commands, and one particular container slid out of the wall with a hiss, allowing him to take the Device out from storage and present it to Roas, who accepted it into his open hands. Stepping back, the mercenary looked down at the arrow-shaped Lancel. It was bigger than he thought it would be. The green lens set into it blinked brightly for a moment.

"So you're to be my new Device, huh?" Roas commented.

**"Affirmative, master," **came Lancel's reply in a smooth male voice. Roas frowned a bit at the title.

"When you're ready, we'll upload your information into Lancel's database," Emil said, stepping up to Roas. "Then you can begin getting acclimated with the Device. And we'll need to get that done soon."

"Why?" Roas asked, turning to him. "What's the rush?"

"Because I've already got your first mission lined up, and we can begin when you're ready."

* * *

><p>Days later, Roas found himself aboard Avon Leganza's personal cruiser, one of the few things the scientist's daughter managed to keep after his death, as it hovered high above one of Exavil's former cities. He was leaning against the wall inside the storage hanger the dimensional cruiser had, waiting for the orders Emil was to issue for the mission. Lancel hung from a cord tied around his wrist, so it was always close at hand and ready whenever it was time to battle—mercenaries couldn't take chances.<p>

Thinking back to when Mesia found out about his hiring, Roas closed his eyes and telepathically contacted Mesia, who was piloting the ship.

_Hey. You alright with this, Mesia? _he asked.

_It's fine,_ came her resigned-sounding reply. _Emil explained to me why things are the way they are, and why we have to do this. I just wish there was another way._

_Things will work out for the best, _Roas reassured her, despite knowing that any number of things could cause this scheme to explode in their faces with disastrous results for Ailotana. But hell, this was better than doing nothing and letting some corporation run them off the land.

Before either mage could continue their conversation, a holographic screen generated from the ship blinked into life in front of Roas, causing the mercenary to stand up straighter—the mission was about to begin, and Valare was going to brief him one last time on his mission. A world map opened up on the screen , and a placement marker started blinking over one bit of land as Valare spoke.

"Eliminate the armed forces occupying the independent city of Newdam," the businessman briefed him as the screen zoomed in on the designated location. It soon changed to old footage captured during the initial occupation. "Newdam was abandoned after losing its central infrastructure to large-scale terrorist attacks. These groups just let themselves in and set up shop."

Roas noted that the aforementioned terrorist groups looked to one of the more well-financed groups inhabiting Exavil. He noted a few tanks and helicopters in the forces; he should probably on guard to make sure there weren't any rogue mages in their ranks, or worse, drones left over from the JS Incident back on Mid-Childa—the fallout of that incident was still being felt everywhere.

"This mission is a little show for the corporations, and as Ailotana's mercenary, you're our star," Valare continued. "Mishima Heavy Industries, the largest company of the lot, is especially eager to see Newdam rebuilt—we won't get another chance like this to impress them."

Roas nodded. "Anything else I should be aware of, or does that cover it?"

"That's everything. The stage is set," came the reply. "The rest is up to you—good luck."

The mercenary nodded as the screen disappeared, and the cargo hold shuddered as the locks disengaged. The floor split open, and light spilled into the chamber. Roas smirked as the wind began whipping at his hair and uniform. He was back in the game. He launched himself over the railing, and out of the cruiser to the city below.

* * *

><p>The roar of the wind threatened to drown out his hearing. Roas could see the city of Newdam rushing up to meet him, and he could make out the armor the occupying forces were using to hold the city—easy targets now that he knew where they were. As he plummeted, the raised his right hand into the air, clutching the Device wrapped around his wrist.<p>

"Here we go! Lancel, _set up!_"

**"Drive ignition!"**

Green light erupted from Roas, encompassing him completely as his Barrier Jacket was constituted around him. Bands of light wrapped around his body, forming a black bodysuit lined in silver, and a gray coat slashed with blue materialized atop it, forming a tabard below its belt. Plated boots and a bracer over his left wrist followed, as well as armor over his right entire arm, plates joining together to form pauldron and gauntlet, connected through a pair of cables between them.

Lancel followed suit, the arrowhead disappearing from his wrist and reconstructed into its full form around the gauntlet. A trio of black prongs plated in silver joined together with a pistol grip and an arm brace, forming a large blaster. An oval plate with a green crystal attached to its side, and a rack holding a long, silver blade underneath it formed under the grip.

"Now commencing the mission," Mesia's voice spoke to him, her image appearing on a holographic screen beside him. "We believe golem units to be the enemy's primary force—eliminate them."

"Golems? How in the world did they get _that_ kind of hardware?" he questioned back, his face crinkled in confusion. _And here I thought the worst I could run into were Gadget Drones…_

"We're unsure at the time," replied his operator. "Probably a black market purchase though. Be careful down there."

"Got it," Roas said, nodding once. It would be a few more seconds before he was in the city proper, and he could already see the first targets. "I can see the preliminary force. Commencing mission."

"Roger that," was Mesia's reply, before the screen disappeared. Lancel's crystal gleamed and elicited a chime, indicating it was ready to start.

Roas' eyes narrowed, wondering how things will change from here. He heard the hushed whispers some people had made ever since he arrived in Ailotana. His arrival had leveled a portion of the nearby countryside, bringing the civil war dangerously close to their homesteads. Their fear wasn't without precedent.

And now, he wondered if Mesia would take their side when she witnessed just what made people afraid of him, and afraid of all the other mercenaries.

The first target came within sight, and his eyes locked onto it, narrowing. His arm shot up, aiming Lancel straight down as his magic flared up through him and focused into spheres of light.

**"Napalm Shot!" **Lancel announced as he pulled the trigger.

The bullets tore through the air, leaving pale green afterimages as they hurtled down at a group of terrorists on patrol. One of them heard a whine in the air and looked up just in time to see the lead Napalm Shot smash into his face and explode. The blast triggered the others, causing a chain reaction of explosions that engulfed the patrol. Pained screams erupted through the air as concrete shrapnel and twisted shards from broken rifles rocketed through them, slicing through clothing and flesh in equal measure. There was no mercy for them.

Shouts rose up as the sudden attack became apparent, and life sprang up into the city. The tanks became active, and men quickly spotted the incoming assailant in the sky.

Roas noted flashes of light down below, and he quickly banked off, rolling away just in the nick of time—bullets could be felt glancing off his barrier jacket, the autobarrier quickly deflecting them away. He wasted no time—there would be no mercy.

More projectiles formed and he hammered away, sending each Napalm Shot streaking towards the terrorists as he raced down to meet them. The street was rent apart in the blasts, throwing each of the men away as he cleared a path to the nearest tank. A roosting bird with black feathers squawked in fear as the attacks disturbed the building it had roosted in, but Roas shot past unmindful, arching his path as the tank centered its turret on him. Again, he rolled away, and the tank fired.

A skyscraper wall disintegrated away in the blast as the high-explosive shell missed its target. The mercenary grimaced and stepped it up, accelerating as he held his Device out to his side.

**"Slasher Form!"**

The lower prongs opened up to the sides as the center prong's fin swung forward. Beneath Lancel, the large blade swung up and locked into place within the three prongs. Roas concentrated, calculating the spell as pale green light condensed around the blade, and he raced straight towards the tank and swung.

The tank's crew felt a jolt as the barrel was separated from the turret. Lancel's blade had sliced through it neatly, sweeping down and leaving a deep gash in the vehicle's armor beneath it as well. Roas' gaze was indifferent as it met the terrified look of the driver, then forced his hand forward at him and channeled.

The magic bolt he fired punched through the armor with enough force to shatter the pavement below it as it ruptured out the lower deck, but Roas had already flown off, landing amidst the strewn bodies. His eyes darted about as he took in the situation.

_Three tanks moving in from the front, one from the right,_ he noted methodically as a magic circle formed beneath his feet. _Approximately eight gunmen in the general vicinity. Four on the rooftops, three more approaching from within._

He lifted up Lancel as it reverted back into its Cannon Form. The hum of energy surrounded him as more projectiles formed, and he squeezed the trigger several times, sending each group of blasts hurtling about around him and into his surroundings.

Up above, Mesia leaned away from her terminal, blanching at the scene of her friend ruthlessly eliminated each hidden target as it came into view, then darted away as the tanks cleared the obstacles and fired. The ground where he had previously stood was obliterated, only for more green projectiles to sweep through the air around the explosion. Grimacing, Mesia moved back forward and returned to monitoring the area.

Roas sent a trio of Napalm Shots hurtling into the building above the nearest tank, letting the explosion rain debris down into its armor and smash apart its turret. _Two tanks down, three more left on this side of the river,_ he calculated, turning about just as Lancel raised a proximity warning as it received a message from Mesia's cruiser. **"Danger, master!" **it called, raising a screen showing a terrorist hefting up an automatic rifle from a nearby window.

Roas quickly turned and lifted up his free hand, conjuring up a Round Shield before him. Bullets pinged off of it, and he snapped off a retaliatory shot that blew apart the window and floor that the gunman had been stationed in. He paid no mind to the screaming man that was flung out of it, his clothing smoking.

Another screen appeared, and Mesia's face quickly appeared within it. "I've detected an attack chopper approaching your position from the northeast," she informed him, bringing up another screen to show the machine. "There's a few more around the bridge across from the target. Be careful."

"Got it," he said, hearing the rotors of the aforementioned chopper carry through the air. "Moving to intercept."

The chopper swung around the corner of the building, angling around sharply to face him. Grunting, Roas flung himself to the side, accelerating away as it opened up with machine cannons that tore through the side of the building and the street below. As he darted away, he saw that the helicopter was turning back, ready to give chase.

**"Master!"** Lancel called out, and the mercenary looked back, just in time to see the chopper launch a missile straight after him. Cursing, he picked up the pace, banking through the air and twisting about to throw off its lock, but it was no use. He twisted himself about and generated a defensive field, throwing himself aside at the last minute as the missile came within range and detonated. Gunmen below yelled and ducked out of the way as shrapnel came raining down, and Roas raced away, landing on top of a low building some distance away from the machine.

Swearing under his breath, Roas hefted Lancel and channeled, generating another green magic circle beneath him. Rings of light formed around the barrel of the Device, gathering up his magic power and condensing it into a sphere. His vision turned green as the targeting interface appeared.

He disliked attacking from long range, he never got the needed practice thanks to the life-and-death situations his missions put him in—Bureau officers tended to be better at that field of combat. But no matter—he'd make this work.

The chopper shot out from the street, quickly spotting him and turning in his direction. Inside the cockpit, the pilot and gunner's eyes widened as the saw the spell being aimed in their direction, but it was too late. **"Aura Strafe," **Lancel announced, the spell designation flashing over the interface lens on the side of the Device.

"Fire!" Roas shouted, squeezing the trigger. A bright lance of energy burst from the firing ring and cut through the air at high speeds. The chopper tried to bank right, but the beam punched through the fuselage and gas tank, causing a shower of sparks that quickly ignited the fuel. The machine was quickly gutted from the inside out, fire bursting through the engines. With a tortured whine, the chopper lost altitude and collapsed, striking into the side of a building and blowing apart in a massive fire flower, killing both of its crew. Lancel's steam ports opened up and jettisoned the built up heat with a hiss, and Roas took off, ignoring the deaths he had caused so far. Rising up above the rooftops, he spotted the bridge up ahead. Two more attack choppers hovered near the bridge, as well as a tank that was rolling across to reinforce the terrorists as they regrouped.

"Mesia, have you located the golem units yet?" he asked, causing a window to appear.

"All three units are on the other side of the river," she told him, sending him the intercepted radio chatter. "They've already begun activating them."

"Let's make this quick then," he said, dismissing the window as he took off. His aura quickly gave away his position to the choppers as he sped right at them. Six magic bullets formed as he thrust Lancel forward, sending them shooting out at the first chopper. The machine swerved away, and the second chopper came into range, firing. Roas blocked the shots with a Round Shield, mentally commanding the stray Napalm Shots to angle around and crush it from the side. All six blasts impacted against the far machine, obliterating it in a cloud of magic and smoke and fire. The mercenary darted away as the wreckage fell into the river, twisting back to face the first chopper as it lined up its guns.

**"Slasher Form!"**

The Device reformed into its melee mode once more, generating another sheath of energy around its blade. A pair of missiles launched out from the chopper, but before Roas could mode, Lancel generated a pair of Napalm Shots and quickly neutralized both in a violent explosion.

The chopper backed out, scanning for its target when Roas shot up above the smoke cloud, aiming down with Lancel's blade.

_"Riser Sword!"_ Roas shouted, squeezing the trigger. The energy blade launched off of the blade, tearing through the sky and into the rotor joint of the chopper. The Riser Sword continued through and sheared off the tail of the machine, and it too collapsed into the waters. Spinning about, Lancel quickly reverted to its Cannon Form and readied another spell.

Down below, the tank on the bridge suddenly halted as an Aura Strafe pierced through both the tank and the bridge. The blast cut right through its ammunition, setting off the stores and destroying the entire tank in the resulting explosion. Overhead, Roas flew off, headed straight for the other side of the river.

"Enemy Golem confirmed," Mesia spoke up as he approached. "There's your target—take it out."

Roas could see the machine—a towering construct of metal, vaguely in the shape of a knight with pointed limb, hovering over the street on a rounded, legless platform. Roas cursed, recognizing it as one of the newer models produced recently. "Who the hell are supplying these guys?" he muttered to himself.

The machine looked up, and its visor glowed brightly. With an unearthly groan, the Golem unit charged, gathering blue-white magic and focusing it into homing blasts. The mercenary dove and swerved as it fired, speeding around the nearest building as the blasts chewed through it and obliterated several of its floors. Zipping back around, he fired another volley of Napalm Shots, smashing them into the second volley as they zeroed in on them. The explosion quickly blanketed the street and the air above it, and the mercenary was quick to use it escape the Golem unit's sensor net.

He paused by a building, out of sight, to catch his breath. "Any ideas, Lancel?" he asked, glancing down at the Device.

Before it could answer, the sound of crushed concrete and tortured metal met his ears as the building behind him exploded, a second Golem unit tearing through the wall—an older model, the smaller machine was forced to rely on melee prowess to attack, and it hefted a large cleaver overhead.

"Dammit!" Roas swore, spinning about. Lancel swung up, already configuring into Slasher Mode and bringing up a Round Shield to block. There was a crashing sound as the shield took the blow, deflecting it away, and Roas charged forward, stabbing Lancel's blade through the central core unit of the golem.

**"Riser Slash,"** came the voice of the Device. Energy coalesced around the blade, shearing through the remaining armor and frying the circuitry within. Grunting with the exertion, Roas twisted about, dragging the blade out the side of the machine and flying away, letting it explode harmlessly.

"Thanks," he breathed to the Device. "That's one down. Let's go find the third one."

**"Affirmative, Master."**

It didn't take long—the third one was identical to the one they destroyed, armed with another large sword. It quickly spotted him as he flew at it, strafing it with a series of magic bullets that tore through the ground and the gunmen trying to reinforce it. Thrusters mounted on its back enabled it to fly after it, quickly giving him chase—which quickly alerted the large unit and signaling it to ready another volley of cannon blasts.

_That's right, you go ahead and target me,_ he thought, glancing back. _Let's see if you're as stupid as I hope you are._

Seeing crushed building up ahead, Roas thrust his free hand out at it, channeling—a magic circle formed on its roof just as the lead Golem unit opened fire. He sprinted the rest of the way, shooting past the building and the circle, and as the pursuing golem gave chase, his trap was sprung—tendrils of magic shot out from the magic circle, quickly snagging the Golem's legs and halting its advance. It struggled, using its blade to slash off the binds, but not quick enough—the other unit's cannon fire quickly swallowed it, destroying it completely.

Roas dropped under the blast and halted over the street, taking aim with Lancel. The firing array opened up and he charged, carefully targeting the large Golem unit and the nearby gunmen in the interface.

**"Aura Strafe with Napalm Shot," **Lancel announced, generating a dozen magic bullets around the charging attack.

_"Fire!"_ Roas shouted, holding down the trigger.

The blasts fired out in sequence, twelve Napalm Shots launching forward like a chain-gun, ending with the Aura Strafe blasting forward at the Golem Unit. Explosions scoured the ground as each shot detonated into a gunman, and the beam shredded through the right cannon arm of the golem. As the weapon fell uselessly to the ground, the machine redirected its charge, taking aim with the left.

"Not gonna happen! Again, _fire!_"

Roas pulled the trigger, sending another Aura Strafe hurtling down the street—this time, his aim was dead on, piercing the core of the Golem unit. After a few seconds, the core went critical, tearing the mechanoid apart in a series of explosions. The wreckage collapsed into the street as Roas landed.

Lancel jettisoned the built-up steam, briefly clouding him from view.

The sound of shifting rubble and blazing fire was all that could be heard for the first few moments. Roas stared out at the destruction, noting each terrified gaze the remaining enemies were giving the mercenary. Roas let out a breath and hefted Lancel back up, taking aim.

That was all that was needed—after seeing his rampage, the will of the terrorists broke, and they fled. Lancel remained aimed for a brief moment before Roas lowered it, deciding it wasn't worth expending the energy—Newdam had been liberated.

"All enemy Golems destroyed—mission accomplished," Mesia announced, appearing on a holographic window with a smile. "Come on home."

Roas nodded. "Roger that."

As the screen closed, Lancel spoke up. **"We work well together, Master," **it said.

Roas frowned, glancing at the Device on his arm. "Don't call me that, Lancel," he ordered.

The Device chimed, but said nothing. Still, Roas could feel that it was confused.

"We're going to be in this together," he explained. "That makes us partners. Not master and servant."

**"Affirmative, comrade,"** came Lancel's response. Satisfied, Roas nodded, and took to the air, returning to the Leganza Tech cruiser.

"You did brilliantly," Mesia said as he returned to the hold—she had been waiting for him there. "Emil is ecstatic."

Roas smiled as he released his Barrier Jacket, with Lancel returning to its storage form. "Guess this makes it official, doesn't it?"

Mesia nodded, though she didn't feel particularly enthused about it. "I'm sure he'll do his part," she said. "Then you'll be sent back into the fray."

Roas nodded back. He knew that after this, everything was going to change.


	2. Illegally Bound

The medical equipment made soft, steady beeps as it continually monitored Valare's health, ready to alert any of the nurses standing by should his radiation poisoning worsen. They had little precedent working in this kind of environment, so they could leave nothing to chance—but Fate knew that while Valare needed rest, the Bureau needed answers as soon as possible.

"So his hiring was for the sake of money?" she asked, though it was hardly a question at this point. "I don't understand why you'd need to go so far."

"With Avon dead, we had little choice," Valare responded, gesturing weakly. "It was a stroke of luck that she was able to rescue him during that fateful day, a stroke of luck I fully intended on taking full advantage of. The corporations the Bureau had allowed on the planet necessitated such actions."

"Corporate blackmail is what caused all of this?" Fate asked. "How can they even get away with such a thing? They've barely been here long enough to set up a foothold!"

"It's completely understandable that you'd think that," was his reply. "The war that's been taking place here has exacted a price from all of us, even the Time-Space Administration Bureau. They hardly had the manpower to put down the rebellions and keep an eye on every foreigner to set foot on Exavil's soil. It gave the corporations a chance many of them had dreamed of."

He coughed lightly, clearing his throat. "Some of us were calling it 'Pax Economica,' peace through economics. For others, it was a totalitarian rule by the companies, beginning after the civil war," he explained to the Enforcer. "Their aim is a tempered redistribution of the planet's rich resources, I imagine."

The man lifted up his other hand, gesturing to the holographic windows a computer terminal procured for him, bringing up images of several locations on Exavil, including other settlements, a large, offshore oil rig, and a bullet train station. "These wise fiscal masters," he continued with some derision, "Took hold of the resources and the markets alike, driving people into settlements and colonies like this one… and into lives of harsh labor just to eat.

"After Scaglietti altered everything in technological developments with the AMF and his Gadget Drones, Mishima Heavy Industries is nothing more than an antiquated giant. That was exactly why they accepted our offer," explained Valare. "Mercenary mages with skill in illegal activities and dangerous assignments have always been the result of… unsavory political machinations. Wizened warriors, using insignificant Devices… they had no use except as political pawns."

Fate nodded, agreeing with that particular assessment, especially after the recent events. She knew that because of the recent incident, she and Teana and the other Enforcers would find themselves facing off against more mercenaries hired on by men emboldened by such events.

Valare, however, could only shake his head. "Back then, that's what everyone assumed," he said, looking wistful and regretful. "Myself included."

**Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha MercenarieS:  
><strong>**THE COLLARED**

**CHAPTER TWO:  
>Illegally Bound<strong>

The temperature in the air had rapidly diminished as night had set in. But here, in this war-weary region of Exavil, the night was neither silent nor still. The forward military compound set up by the local government to watch for rebel attacks on the nearby cities now kept itself under watch, ensuring that it would not be caught unaware by brave or foolhardy enemies seeking out easy prey. A pair of helicopters with mounted spotlights flew in set patterns over the base and the land around it, their rotors pounding at the grass beneath them. Few personnel were seen within the area, each of them going about their final assignments for the day. Several Golem units, brought by the small contingent of Time-Space Administration Bureau temporarily stationed at the fortress, were also on patrol, tirelessly keeping an eye out for any possible threat. Searchlights on guard towers scanned the surrounding countryside, but found nothing.

Just out of the possible scanning range of the local military's equipment, a single hill made a curving motion that made an unfortunate flaw in the compound's defenses. It shielded anything within the curve from visual sight, and with it being situated outside of the detection network, it proved the perfect insertion point for anyone with considerable magical skill.

Within the curving hill, light flashed briefly, forming a circle of crimson light in the Mid-Childan style of magic, and from it a single figure emerged, crouched low with a Device held firmly in hand. Just as quickly, the magic circle faded, and the area went pitch black once more—no one from the forward base saw the light, and the sensor network wouldn't have been able to properly detect the magical symbol even if it had been in range. The blue-black cloth of a Barrier Jacket ensured that it'd be difficult to discern anything out of the ordinary without the aid of a high-powered light source.

The figure crested the hill, keeping low to remain out of sight. The lights of the base were distant, a few glowing marks just before the horizon, and the sounds of the helicopters' propellers were faint. _I'm in position,_ he spoke telepathically, communicating with unseen teammates. _They're settling down for the night. No chance of them discovering my presence._

_Roger that, Salaux,_ came the reply in the form of a cool and collected-sounding female voice. _Any sign of where the targets are stationed?_

_I'm afraid not. Shouldn't matter, though, I'll discover them when the time comes._ Kneeling, Salaux Enterra opened up a holographic screen as his Device filtered out the night using a targeting system. _I'm beginning the reconnaissance now._

_Are you sure you want to do this alone?_ the woman asked, sounding slightly concerned. _Bureau soldiers won't make this easy._

_It's nothing I haven't dealt with before, Tiffany,_ Salaux assured her as information flooded into the screen, showing radar and map information, giving him the lay of the land. _We'll know for sure soon enough. If anything changes, I'll have you and the others intercept. But I doubt it'll be necessary._

He heard a snort over the telepathic link. _You know that Albireo won't like hearing that, _Tiffany said.

_He'll get over it. Enterra out._

As he cut the link, he ducked away and shut down the screen for a brief moment as a patrolling helicopter came within range. The searchlights passed nearby, but his location remained hidden. Falling back, Salaux gave himself a few minutes before opening the screen back up and resuming his reconnaissance of the area. He kept his eye on the patrol paths of the machines in the sky, making sure they wouldn't spot him.

He mapped out the area and sized up the forces where he could, trying to discern where his targets lay dormant. Patrol paths were recorded and memorized, and he mentally labeled each of the base's facilities based on instinct, pinning down the location of his target in the process.

And when his task was done, he bunkered down, and waited.

* * *

><p>It had been little more than a week, almost two, since Roas Lacetti made his return to battlefield, and already the scant few missions he had been sent out on had generated enough money to begin the process of turning things around in Ailotana. They had to be careful, of course—a private doctor had been hired to deal with any injuries that Roas acquired on missions, and the mercenary had needed a place to stay, clothing and food of his own. After Roas' own stipend had been paid, the remaining wealth was loaned out and donated to the rest of the settlement, keeping local businesses afloat and the bank stocked. Emil's careful deliberations had ensured that none of the new money alerted the local government to any potential wrongdoings—the last thing they needed was for the Bureau to suddenly get curious.<p>

Just as well, Valare noted. Mishima Heavy Industries and one of its subsidiaries, MCAF International, had partook of Roas' services, had mostly been interested in clearing out rebels and terrorist cells that occupied areas of interest to the companies. It had been a stroke of luck that the targets had been relatively minor in the eyes of the government and the Administration Bureau, leaving his initial plan in the clear. Now, however, he needed to look to other sources of income—fighting rebels would only do so well for so long, else the situation with the Bureau would easily change. He needed to look for opportunities to aid the corporations elsewhere.

The laboratory's overhead lights remained dimmed, allowing the main monitor screen to provide most of the illumination for the chamber. It was late at night, well after most of the personnel had gone home. Now was the perfect time to go about his clandestine work in dealing with the corporations.

Numerous windows were opened up within the screen, detailing various different communications and reports he'd managed to dredge up from the networks, both public and private. Stock values, monetary reports, notifications, and more allowed the businessman to analyze the situation—he had suspected, but it was becoming abundantly clear that after the JS Incident that had occurred a short while ago on Mid-Childa, Mishima Heavy Industries was losing out on the military hardware market thanks to automated weaponry. Scaglietti's defeat had shown that perhaps the use of A.I. controlled weaponry was not the best path to take—after all, Scaglietti's forces, which had relied almost entirely on automated systems, had failed spectacularly against Bureau forces, resulting in his capture and the destruction of the Saint's Cradle.

And now, sales for robotic constructs like the Golem Units were beginning to drop. Emil hypothesized that for now, people would rely on actual manpower when it comes to property defenses, though he feared that the AMF technology that Scaglietti had used would prove invaluable to criminal forces everywhere. Belatedly, Valare wondered if Roas had any training or experience in dealing with anti-magic capabilities; it was very possible that a future mission could pit the mercenary against such technology.

He made a note to ask Roas when he and Mesia returned from their current mission, and returned to his original task.

_Chances are, Mishima will be suffering from a sharp financial loss in the coming months,_ the businessman noted, bringing up more screens. _Perhaps they can avoid it if the battles here take a turn for the worse, but that's unlikely. The Bureau has everything under control for the most part._

He minimized the previous reports on Mishima Heavy Industries and started searching for similar documents fielded by other corporations—Caledfwlch Techniques looked promising, having the ambition to expand beyond Vaizen. But they too were under the watchful eyes of the Bureau currently, thanks to their specialization in magic equipment. Minervum Science Technology would perhaps be more appropriate—while holding promising talent in Device part development, the company was small, and likely had need of help gaining an edge over their larger competitors on the market.

Forty-five minutes later, Valare leaned back in his seat, satisfied. The information he had managed to dig up on Minervum Science Technology proved that they'd be a viable choice. He'd ready an offer to them within the week—hopefully, the opportunities Roas would give them would prove too tempting to pass up. He closed everything down and wiped away every indication of his activities before shutting down the mainframe for the night. He was tired, and wanted to go home.

As he exited the building, his mind wandered, wondering how Roas and Mesia would do on their current assignment, but shook the thought off. Roas' skill was hardly in doubt anymore, and he knew the man would do fine. Mesia would send him a report before the mission began in the morning.

* * *

><p>The attack was swift, and came without warning. At first light, a baleful red light flashed on the horizon before expanding out, becoming a crimson beam of magic. The fortress wall easily collapsed under its power, and the beam continued unopposed until it struck its target—the large fuel depot reserved for the patrol choppers. There was a roar as a massive fire flower bloomed into the air, spreading smoke and shrapnel through the air. Nearby armories and vehicle garages were quickly annihilated by the explosion, flipping over tanks and causing debris to crush those unlucky enough to be inside. Non-combat personnel were scattered about in the confusion, trying to find out who was attacking, to put out the fires, to do <em>something.<em>

The ground had practically exploded around Salaux as he fired the shot, kicking up a wall of dirt that obscured him from view for the briefest of moments. As the alarm rose up from the base, he took to the air, streaking to it at high speeds.

The Golem Units were quick to arm themselves, as were the soldiers and Bureau mages who hadn't been scrambled by the sudden assault. Automated turrets on the corners of the base walls activated and opened fire. Bullets, both magical and solid, flew through the air, but all of them failed to strike the bogey that shot over the wall and slammed down in a deserted section of the base. Moments later, the turrets exploded violently, struck by delayed magic shots.

As Salaux stood, the soldiers got a clear look at their attacker. He was tall and tanned, clad in a long black coat. Gunmetal gray armor scooped over his shoulders and chest, the breastplate tapering into a blunted point in the center. A staff of gray and black was clutched in a bare left hand, its end containing both a smooth red sphere cupped in a wicked bayonet.

Burgundy eyes glanced over to the nearest mage from underneath shaggy black hair, and narrowed. Spinning about, he swung his staff around, a panel sliding back to reveal a Cartridge System, and a single cartridge slammed into it, summoning a dozen spheres of crimson light. Aiming the weapon, they began to fire out a series of blasts that cut through the air at the native soldiers, burning through their Kevlar and clothing and into their skin. Barriers flew up among the mages, deflecting the shots, before they returned fire at the enemy mage.

Salaux's attack spheres suddenly cut off their stream of shots and surged forward, intercepting each of the mages' projectiles as he flew back, skimming only centimeters over the ground. Bullets swept past him as native soldiers rounded the corner and opened fire, and he deftly swept around a nearby garage as its door was peppered full of holes. The mercenary swung Supplice around as he exited around the other corner, the staff quickly generating blade-like projectiles that he fired one by one at each soldier, impaling them through their vitals and sending them to the ground, screaming in pain.

The mages opened fire once more as the Golem unit came up behind them, hefting up a massive axe, and Salaux quickly took to the sky, flying up to the command tower near the center of the base and landing on its roof. A red magic circle erupted beneath him as he swung his staff into position, aiming downwards at the group. "Supplice, cartridge load!" he commanded.

**"Load Cartridge,"** it said in a deep, almost-robotic sounding voice. **"Grand Blazer."**

Inscribed bands opened up around Supplice as it charged up another beam, and Salaux grabbed hold of the grip and squeezed the trigger just as the Golem flung its axe at him.

The beam that erupted from the charging magic swallowed the weapon whole, obliterating it before smashing into the Golem itself. Within seconds, the magic had chewed through its armor, causing it to go critical and explode. The shockwave released floored the nearby mages, knocking a couple of them unconscious.

Salaux leaped off the roof, plummeting down to the ground, only to have a trio of APCs and a pair of mages attack, sending a flurry of projectiles screaming through the air at him. He darted out of the way, skimming across the ground to a safe distance, letting gunfire and spells tear apart the surrounding area. Another magic circle expanded beneath him, generating more attack spheres, and he unloaded into all of the targets. The three APCs were blown apart, and the mages were forced to fly out of harm's way. Retaliatory shots swarmed down from the sky, and once more he sent his attacks to counter them before taking off into the air after his enemies.

The morning skies became ablaze with light as streaks of blue clashed with a single bolt of red as the Bureau mages engaged the mercenary. Soldiers looked up in awe at the dogfight, watching in morbid fascination as Salaux quickly went on the offensive, sending bolts of crimson energy hurtling into the nearest mage, sending him back down to earth with a crash. Round shields deployed around him as the mages counterattacked, the force of which knocking him through the air as he defended. Supplice loaded a pair of cartridges as its bayonet split and elongated on either side of the interface crystal, activating a shooting mode.

As more shots swept in, a magic circle opened up and channeled, sending dozens of magic bullets swarming through the air at them and the mages, detonating the incoming attacks harmlessly and forcing the mages to break away lest they too get shot out of the air. One mage spun about and opened up a Round Shield, blocking the shot—as the smoke cleared, his reward was only to see the crimson glow of a Grand Blazer smashing into him and sending him screaming through the air.

Seeing an opening, another mage charged forward, gathering magic into his staff and swinging as he neared. Staff clashed against staff, sending the exploding magic downward, along with Salaux. Gritting his teeth, the mercenary stabled his flight, using barrier spells to deflect more incoming shots. Above him, the mage brought about his staff, charging up a beam and swinging the staff around to take aim.

Salaux decided that it was time to end this fight—there was no more point in playing with them. "Supplice, Full Drive! Strike them down with magic damage!"

Another two cartridges were loaded, and Supplice spoke up. **"Marche Au Supplice."**

Binds suddenly clamped down on most of the surviving mages, causing them to yell out in surprise as they were held in place. A magic circle opened up before Supplice's targeting rings, and four smaller ones quickly followed at its outer edges—Salaux pulled the trigger and each one fired simultaneously, sending a large sphere hurtling through the air. The mages quickly freed themselves from their binds, but by then, it was too late—each sphere exploded into half a dozen smaller ones, each of which blew apart into more magic bullets.

The sky was blanketed in red as explosions ripped through the air and the mages, rending their barrier jackets to shreds and knocking his opponents unconscious. The few mages that had escaped the onslaught and the soldiers down below looked on in horror as Salaux turned his Device down at the base, readying the spell again.

**"Marche Au Supplice."**

Soon, the base was little more than fire and rubble. Soldiers and personnel fled, screaming as explosions and magic tore them asunder.

Seeing one of the surviving mages try to get away, the black-coated mercenary turned Supplice on him, casting several binds to hold him in place before he unleashed another Grand Blazer, sending the mage hurtling through the air before slamming into the side of a destroyed building, unconscious. Seeing his comrade fall, the last mage took off at fast as he could, darting around the first building he could. Smirking, Salaux gave chase, readying Supplice before him

The Bureau mage waited with baited breath for the mercenary to appear, holding his Storage Device at the ready. Finally, hearing the mercenary's approach, he flung himself out of cover, firing as many magic bullets at Salaux as he could. Blue fire seared the air.

But for all his trouble, the mercenary darted to the side, easily evading the shots as if he knew they were coming. Salaux swept around the mage, ducking under as the Bureau officer swung his own staff at his head, and lunged forward, stabbing Supplice forward.

The bayonet of the staff cut through the mage's barrier jacket and shoulder, parting magic and flesh and bone, eliciting a scream of pain from the man. Salaux paid no mind to the blood that splashed across his face and Barrier Jacket.

Silence seemed to reign as the mage's blood ran down the edge of Supplice's bayonet—all military forces in the base had been neutralized. After a brief moment, Salaux tore his Device free, causing his victim to groan and collapse against the wall of the building, smearing blood across it as it seeped out of his wound.

"Mission accomplished," he said as a holographic screen appeared. The mercenary looked down, his eyes narrowing. "Ready for the extraction."

Beneath him, the mage looked upon Salaux in terror.

* * *

><p>The mission had been given to them by Mishima Heavy Industries' subsidiary, MCAF International, a company specializing in the creation of missiles and rockets, both for scientific and military use. The local terrorist faction, known as the Elitrean Liberation Front, had stolen a trio of such rockets, intent on converting them into weapons of mass destruction. The theft was coinciding with an inspection by the Bureau, and the company was eager to retrieve the rockets before the inspection happened. They had hired Roas on to secure the rockets from the desert fortress the Liberation Front and retrieve them with a mass teleport courtesy of Mesia. Normally it would be an easy mission for any mage of decent strength and moderate competence.<p>

The devil, Roas decided, was in the details.

When they arrived, they had discovered that the entire area had been blanketed in a fierce sandstorm that had reduced visibility for miles. What's more, the Liberation Front had apparently known they would be coming, and had sent out an advance team to intercept him.

"Enemy signatures detected nearby… They're right on you!"

Mesia's monitoring of the situation and the unending volleys of mortar fire pounding the sand into broken sheets of glass all around him made Roas certain that was the case.

"You're surrounded!" Mesia exclaimed, frantic. "Get out of there!"

Roas dropped the defensive spell he had been maintaining and bolted, flying across the sand and leaving it kicking up in his wake. His ears were ringing from all of the explosions, but he knew he couldn't stop. Buildings loomed up ahead, and he ducked inside one of them, out of the winds. Peering out a nearby window, he soon saw that his escape hadn't gone unnoticed. There were tanks moving in to attack, which also meant that the enemy artillery would be adjusting their aim.

"Lancel!" he called out.

**"Affirmative, comrade,"** the Device acquiesced. **"Aegis."**

A green barrier of magic flashed up around the building, just as Roas heard the telltale whine of mortar shells over the wind. The ground shook as the attacks slammed into the defensive field, causing decades' worth of dust to rain down from the ceiling. Several more volleys followed before there was a pause, and Roas knew he had to escape. He darted out to the next building, and made his way through the abandoned town building by building before exiting out the other side.

"Enemy forces are coming in thicker now," Mesia warned him over a holographic screen, bringing up a map display with radar. "Stay sharp or you'll be in trouble."

"Roger that," Roas said, glancing at the screen once. "See if you can get a lock on the target."

"I'll get right on it."

Tank shells exploded in the sand around him as he flew, and he raced around them, casting Napalm Shot arrays to seek out the armored vehicles and blow them apart, and clear his path to the enemy stronghold. The desert remained clear of more obstacles, and soon, decrepit castle walls loomed up from the sands before him. On each parapet a large turret had been mounted, looking distinctly out of place. The Elitrean Liberation Front clearly meant business in the war. Roas halted his advance and brought Lancel up and channeled.

The targeting rings quickly expanded around the Device's barrel and charged. **"Aura Strafe," **the Device called.

"Fire!"

The piercing beam cut through the closest turret, hitting its ammo storage and causing it to detonate violently, tearing the machine apart and giving Roas the opening he needed. He flew in past the outer wall, and quickly sent a volley of Napalm Shots raining down on the gunmen within.

"Elitrean stronghold perimeter breached," Mesia announced, appearing on-screen once more. "Now get in there and secure the objectives."

The map she provided for him showed him where they were. He flew out to the left-most courtyard, and quickly spotted half-constructed ICBM launchers, each with the large rockets already mounted on them. Roas landed hard and spun about, sending another volley of projectiles to ward off incoming terrorists before returning his attention to the rockets.

He aimed Lancel at them and pulled the trigger. **"Sealing."**

Bands of magic burst out from the weapon, wrapping around each of the rockets in turn and halting all functions within them, shrinking them down and leaving them in stasis.

"I've secured the targets!" Roas called over a holographic screen. He threw up an Aegis barrier around him and the machines as more gunmen came around the corner.

"Understood! Transferring now!"

A massive magic circle of blue light expanded over the sands beneath the ICBMs, charging. Within moments, each missile disappeared one-by-one as Mesia's teleport spell transferred them onto the cruiser up in the sky.

"Transfer of the objectives confirmed," she said to him. "Head on out of there."

Roas nodded and fired more Napalm Shots, dropping his barrier. As explosions sent the gunmen flying, he blasted off into the sky, out of sight. He quickly met up with the cruiser, and entered it through the airlock.

Mesia was waiting for him just outside, having let the support crew handle the piloting while she handled Roas' support during and after the mission.

"I'm glad you're alright," she said, smiling at him. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Ailotana continued to reign peacefully, doing its best to move past the initial unpleasantness that had brought Roas Lacetti into the community. The sun was bright and the sky clear, and Roas allowed himself a brief moment to relax on the bench overlooking the large river that cut through the settlement. His vantage point gave him a clear view of the bridge that spanned over its waters, which were now thankfully clear as Exavil entered its summer solstice. The settlement had a quiet bustle as its inhabitants went about their daily lives. The mercenary closed his eyes and leaned back, basking for a bit. Times like these had always been few and far between for his kind.<p>

Granted, few mercenaries really had the time to take advantage of such luxuries. Oftentimes their lives dictated that they always be on the move, constantly on the lookout for the next contract, himself included before the destruction of his Storage Device. Now he had a place to live, an apartment near the laboratory, and he'd been able to trade in the old Leganza Tech uniform for some decent clothing. Now he wore a tan, long-sleeved shirt and beige cargo pants, and he felt much more comfortable. Lancel still hung from his wrist, ever close at hand, its cord tying the cuff of his sleeve down. He could make meals he wanted; sleep on a regular schedule for once. He wasn't going to let these moments go to waste, that was for sure.

"Ne, mister?"

Roas cracked open an eye and looked about for the youthful-sounding voice, and quickly spotted a young, green-haired girl, hardly six years of age, looking expectantly up at him with bright eyes. Not expecting to have such a visitor, the mercenary straightened up. "Need something, kid?"

"Are you really a mage?" asked the child, her expression curious.

Roas eyed the girl for a moment, unsure as to what to do—this wasn't exactly something he gets subjected to in his line of work. But after a moment, he shrugged and decided it couldn't hurt. Lancel gleamed in the sunlight briefly as he lifted his right hand up. The girl started as a small magic circle formed beneath the two of them, and Roas channeled. **"Detection,"** Lancel announced as a sphere of pale green light formed above his hand, then floated over in front of the girl.

"Wow," she whispered in amazement, looking wide-eyed at what was very likely her first experience with magic.

"Kia?" the two of them heard an older woman's voice call. Roas looked up, spotting who could only be the girl's mother stepping away from a nearby bazaar stall. "Kia, come back here!" she called.

"Coming!" the girl called back, running back to her mother as Roas dismissed the spell. As they met up, the child waved back at Roas, while the mother gave him a wary, guarded look, causing him to frown slightly even as he waved back to the girl. With that, the two departed.

Roas sighed. He should've been expecting that.

"I didn't know you had a way with children, Roas," Mesia said, her voice hiding a chuckle. Roas looked up to see the woman approaching him, dressed in a loose white blouse and long skirt, with a dark-patterned shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She brushed a strand of red hair from her face as she approached and sat down next to him, handing a canned drink to him.

"I don't," he said gruffly, relaxing back into the park bench as he cracked the tab on his drink. "Mercenaries aren't meant to deal with kids anyway."

Mesia only smiled at his terse response. "Still, I didn't really expect you to humor her," she said, sipping at her own drink. "Some might even think you were a softie."

Roas gave her a sidelong glance and snorted.

"Still, I noticed her mother's reaction to seeing you use your magic," the technician continued. "I'd have thought they'd gotten over it now, since you're helping out."

"It'd take longer than that," Roas said, shaking his head. "The people here aren't used to mages like me. Hell, probably aren't used to mages in general, and I doubt you really advertise your magic like I just did."

"Well, no," Mesia admitted, glancing off a moment. "My magic's nothing spectacular, and I got most of my training on Mid-Childa anyway…"

"Exactly. They're just going to remain scared of me. I was expecting it."

"I just don't understand why they're so afraid of you, Roas," Mesia said, frowning. "I get being scared of other mercenaries, but I don't understand why they're so afraid of trying to get to know you better. I'm sure if they did, this would all stop."

While a skilled operator, Roas could see that Mesia was still dreadfully naïve about this line of work. And knowing now that she'd be unwilling to leave him to his own devices, he knew he'd have to break that part of her. He stood up and beckoned to her. "Roas?" she asked, looking somewhat confused.

"Come on, I need to show you something," was all he said.

She nodded after a moment and took Roas' hand to get up off the bench, and the two of them walked side by side as they proceeded to Ailotana's main road. Unsure as to what Roas planned on showing her, Mesia held her tongue, and the trip was made in silence. As they walked, however, she noted the other people around, giving Roas looks ranging from wariness, to apprehension, and to outright fear. She frowned, and kept herself from making eye contact with them.

It wasn't too long before the two of them had stepped outside of the settlement's limits, leaving them alone in the open green valley at southwestern end of Ailotana. Trees were sparse, but the land showed that it was quite healthy, barely touched by the still-growing settlement. Roas diverted his path, subtly angling off to the left. Mesia followed, and it was over an hour of walking before the two of them reached Roas' destination. The two of them clambered up the tall hill, Roas helping Mesia with a hand up for some of the way, and finally stood at its crest.

The mercenary heard his companion's sharp intake of breath when she saw what lay before them in the adjoining fields.

The ground showed a sharp contrast to what lay behind the two of them. Here, it was pockmarked with dozens of craters, blanketing the valley floor. The grass had been shredded away in the blasts, leaving it remaining only in stark patches few and far between the many craters and the charred soil. Here, no birds flew and chirped, leaving the area completely silent. They both recognized what this area was—it was the site of Roas' last battle as an unemployed mercenary, where he had been jumped by three other mercenaries, only for Mesia to send him to safety at the last minute.

"This is why they fear me," Roas said quietly to his companion. He hooked his thumbs into his pockets, staring on over the obliterated field. A breeze caused Mesia's skirt to flutter, but she didn't notice as he went on. "We're weapons. Any mercenary worth his salt can do this kind of damage and more within moments of showing up. We don't hold back, and we don't follow the Bureau's standpoint in combat. For us, it's kill or be killed. There's no real in-between."

"That's a terrible way to live a life," Mesia said quietly.

"It is. And for most of us, it's the only way we can afford to live," came his reply. He glanced over at Mesia. "Unless something miraculous happens, they'll be afraid of me. And they're not wrong in doing so. That's… just the way things are."

"And can you really say you're content with that?" Mesia challenged, her voice still quiet. For several moments, the only sound was the wind blowing over the wasted fields.

"Would anyone be?" Roas finally replied. "I don't have to like how things are for mercenaries. But until things change, I just have to live with it."

Mesia only shook her head, a frown marring her features as she looked at her friend.

"You shouldn't have to."

* * *

><p>"… has been confirmed that there are no survivors from the attack, and initial surveys of the damage show estimates ranging into the hundreds of millions," the news reporter spoke into the microphone, her voice being broadcasted into the laboratory chamber. The screen showed the reporter standing before the burning remains of a military compound. Black smoke was billowing into the air as firefighters did their best to douse the flames. The ammunition stores had already ignited, destroying much of what had remained. "The Local government are collaborating with the Time-Space Administration Bureau, who had forces stationed at the facility, in order to ascertain the culprit behind this shocking assault…"<p>

_I suppose I spoke too soon,_ Emil thought, frowning. _It seems that Mishima Heavy Industries will still have a purpose on this world._

The businessman frowned, his chin resting upon an upraised fist as the news report continued. He knew that Mishima would never pass up the chance to rebuild this massacred base, as it could provide replacements for nearly all of the destroyed military hardware. They'd remain a contender on Exavil's stage for now… but regardless, he knew that he had to extend Roas' services to beyond just the single corporation and its subsidiaries.

"That looks unpleasant," someone remarked behind the man, causing him to look over his shoulder.

The door to the lab had opened up, allowing Roas and Mesia entry into the room. "Emil, what's happened?" Mesia asked, stepping around her companion as she moved the screen. "Did something change in the war?"

"I believe something did," confirmed the man, nodding at the screen. "Someone managed to completely obliterate the Aspho defense base in a matter of minutes. The details are sketchy, but from the looks of it, I'd say a mage was responsible. Likely a mercenary."

"There's someone out there strong enough to cause this much damage?" Mesia breathed, as the screen gave a bird's eye view of the damage.

Roas nodded from where he was leaning against the wall. "I can think of a few," he remarked. "I don't suppose that mission notice you called us here for is about this, is it?" He didn't think they'd gotten such publicity that the Bureau or the government would be willing to hire his services.

"I'm afraid not, Roas," Emil said, clearing the screen of the news report and bringing up the details, among them a captured photo of a single, native man. "No, our concerns are still in the interests of Mishima Heavy Industries. This one's going to be unlike the other missions you've done for us."

* * *

><p>"Let's confirm the mission," Mesia's voice said over the communication screen.<p>

Once more, Roas found himself in the Leganza cruiser's hold, with the rumbling of the machine cutting through the sky trying to drown out his friend and operator's voice. Multiple screens had been put up before him, detailing a map of the staging area, overlaid in wireframe around the various buildings of an abandoned city—it had been recently discovered that Exavil too had been part of the old Belkan conflicts centuries past, and this area too were some of its remnants. Other screens detailed the local weather and other notable conditions.

The main screen showed an old road being cut through the staging area, marking the presumed target's path. "Intercept the Elitrean Liberation Front's ground transport convoy, and eliminate their greatest asset—the mage known as Mahindra, the Desert Wolf," Mesia relayed to him, as the main screen switched to a display of a sun-dark man, clad in a heavy brown coat and cloak of a Barrier Jacket, holding a staff-shaped Storage Device in his right hand.

Captured video data of the mage in question began playing, showing him in the thick of battle, his red-orange colored magic tearing through the air as it sought out the Bureau mages he had apparently fought. "By taking on a lethal amount of magical stress, Mahindra has achieved a degree of skill in battle far beyond the levels of his magical power," Mesia detailed for him. "You're dealing with someone anti-establishment groups across Exavil consider a hero. He's too dangerous to engage in conventional combat. Mahindra's Storage Device is based on the standard Bureau model, and his set-up infers a preference to speed over firepower—his defenses should be minimal. Try to take him out before he can engage you in battle."

"Shouldn't be too difficult," Roas remarked, downloading the known data into Lancel. He wondered how things would go—it'd be his first engagement with another mage since Hogire's destruction.

"Those are your orders—be careful out there," Mesia told him as she opened up the hold's loading bay. The floor shuddered underneath Roas' feet, and as light spilled into the chamber, he leaped out, already engaging his Barrier Jacket.

* * *

><p>The raven made jerking motions from its perch on the rooftop as sudden movement caught its eye. A green light flashed high in the air, causing it to shriek and take to the air, scattering a few errant black feathers in its wake. Roas hurtled through the air, speeding towards the city ruins as quickly as he could, before Mahindra could get within scanning range. His form could barely be seen in the evening's dying light, with the setting sun casting an orange and black pall over the desert battlefield.<p>

Roas slowed as he approached the building, landing easily through a broken window on its top floor. He made it way through the rooms to the other side, seeing that it offered an unparalleled view of the route his target was reportedly taking. It'd be the perfect place to set up a long-range ambush.

_As if,_ Roas snorted. He had the feeling that he'd need to get in and make this quick and messy—his long range attacks weren't meant for this kind of battle.

But if he were lucky…

_Target sighted,_ Mesia sent him telepathically. A small screen depicting the road ahead appeared, showing the large transport truck he had been tasked to destroy. _En route via ground carrier vehicle._He couldn't make out the driver through the tinted windows—he had to assume that it was Mahindra himself driving it.

_Don't get ahead of yourself,_ she cautioned. _Let the target come to you, then attack._

Roas waited with baited breath as the vehicle crept closer—now he could see it, a tiny vessel just coming around a dune. "Lancel," he whispered, glancing down at the Device.

Silently, the Device activated, configuring into its Cannon Form.

_Target has entered combat range,_ came Mesia's telepathy again, her voice becoming carefully neutral in tone. _Let him get as close as possible, then hammer him._

Glancing back up, Ailotana's mercenary watched. A single black feather drifted into his field of vision, caught on a breeze and fluttered out and away from the building.

_Now!_

Roas sprung into action, channeling his magic. The magic circle burst up around him and he took aim, even as Mesia continued.

_Assault the target! Aim to cripple him before he can get his Barrier Jacket constituted!_

**"Aura Strafe."**

Roas ignored Mesia's last bit of advice—to disable, rather than destroy—and had aimed Lancel right at the vehicle's gas tank and readied for physical destruction, rather than magic damage. He squeezed the trigger, and a bright beam of green magic cut through the targeting rings and through the dying light of the day.

The beam struck true, igniting the fuel. For several moments, the truck continued forward before the cabin exploded, its windows shattering as fire bloomed out of them. The truck stalled, coming to a halt on the broken asphault in seconds, quickly becoming a pyre.

_Did I get him? _he wondered, lowering Lancel. He couldn't see—

Something blasted out of the top of the inferno, streaking into the air, and Roas cursed. He leaped out of the window, streaking up into the air after it. The Desert Wolf halted in midair, his cloak billowing out behind him in the wind. Brown eyes as hard as stone regarded Roas imperiously, then started to burn with a zealous fury.

_"Coward!"_ Mahindra roared, bringing his staff up to bear. _"The unrighteous will be made to pay!"_

Gritting his teeth, Roas struck, thrusting Lancel forward and pulling the trigger, loosing a volley of Napalm Shots at the Elitrean mage, only for them to crash against the Round Shield he had conjured, giving him the chance to counter with a beam of his own.

Red-orange fire hurtled down from the sky, forcing Roas to roll out of the way, shooting off to the left, with Mahindra tailing behind him. There was no doubt about it—he was fast. The freedom fighter was hot on his tail, and already gathering up magic to shoot him down. Roas spun about just as Mahindra fired, conjuring up his own projectiles. The evening sky became ablaze as the attacks detonated against each other.

Roas charged through the explosion, Lancel's blade swinging into place as it configured into Slasher Form, and closed the distance between himself and Mahindra. Their Devices flashed out, blade and staff meeting in a clash of magical energy. Mahindra forced him away, deflecting his attack with a Round Shield, but Roas pressed the attack.

"You might as well give up!" Roas shouted, coming back around and chopping downward at Mahindra's skull.

The staff was again used to deflect it, and Mahindra used the opening to blast him with a short-range projectile. His autoguard took the brunt of it, but the desired effect was achieved.

"I can't die here," the freedom fighter stated coldly as a magic circle formed beneath him. "Not to your scheming."

**"Blaze Cannon,"** his staff announced as he swung.

Red-orange fire blasted out at Roas, searing the air and forcing him to block with his own shield. Gritting his teeth, he summoned more Napalm Shots and fired them backwards behind him and away, streaking around and about the buildings. The Blaze Cannon died out, freeing Roas up, and he quickly dropped the shield and took advantage, shooting up and swiping at the freedom fighter, forcing him to dodge.

"You won't get away from me!" Roas shouted, chasing after him.

Green and orange light streaked through the skies as the two clashed, with neither giving an inch on the offensive. A Riser Slash found itself trying to cut through a Barrier, and Roas snarled as he put his back into the swing. Mahindra cocked his hand back, readying another close-range shot, when Roas smirked and dove back. He thrust his left arm out, and then up, clenching his hand into a fist.

Numerous Napalm Shots blasted up from their hiding places in the ruined city, streaking up towards Mahindra and exploding with untold fury.

Bits of shredded cloak fell away from the smoke as Mahindra dove back, his Barrier taking the brunt of the damage. "I see… a logical move," he said, staring at his opponent. "Ravens aren't to be underestimated."

"What?" was the reply of Ailotana's mercenary. _Is he calling me a bird?_

He cut his musings short as Mahindra swung his staff around, a sphere of red and orange magic forming at its tip. With a roar, Mahindra smashed his Device through it, causing it to explode into dozens of tiny bolts that ripped into Roas' Barrier Jacket, sending him reeling back.

**"Target's skill level is increasing, comrade!" **Lancel warned as Mahindra charged forward, sending more projectiles at him. The autoguard deflected them, but Roas knew that it wouldn't hold up under a sustained assault.

**"Cannon Form,"** Lancel announced, swinging its blade back as he brought it up to bear. **"Napalm Shot."**

"Fire!"

The shots burst free and immediately exploded around Mahindra, only for the man to rush through the flames and swing his staff down, smashing it into Roas' shoulder and setting off its gathered magic in a powerful explosion. With a yell of pain, Roas was sent plummeting downwards, right through a building wall. Wasting no time, Mahindra chased him down to the same level, readying another spell.

His follow-up was cut short as an Aura Strafe blasted out of the building, cutting through his defenses before he could even raise a shield. Only a quick duck prevented the beam from being fatal, instead letting it torch his shoulder where it pierced his Barrier Jacket.

Roas stepped out of the wrecked building, glaring. His Device was raised up again, targeting rings signaling another incoming Aura Strafe. Mahindra fired more projectiles at him and bolted, only for them to be destroyed as the Aura Strafe cut through them as easily as it had his Barrier Jacket. The beam missed, but Roas made sure more Napalm Shots were tracking him down.

"He's on the run," Mesia told Roas, appearing in a window. "Don't let him escape."

"Not a chance," Roas agreed, soaring after the man. He had to close in and finish the job—there'd be no point in letting this continue.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the Desert Wolf had narrowly avoided the tracking shots. "He's actually got me on the defensive!" Mahindra growled, astonished. It had been long since he had fought an opponent that could stand against his superior skills. If he weren't careful, the interloper—this <em>Raven<em>—would take him out, and then the cause of his brethren would be in jeopardy.

_Don't worry, your friends thought you could use a hand! This is Warren Galant,_ a cool, confident voice sounded in his head, giving him pause. _Help is on the way. Hold out 'til I get there._

The mercenary was closing in again, his Device already becoming a sword again. Mahindra sneered, and brought another spell up to bear.

* * *

><p>The air became awash in fire as Roas surged forward, ducking and rolling between the exploding projectiles, and brought his Device back. Energy exploded around its blade.<p>

**"Riser Slash."**

The blade smashed hard against a Round Shield that blocked it far too late. Roas twisted and pressed the attack, shattering the shield with such force that it threw Mahindra back. Halting his advance, Roas calculated another spell and cast it, capturing his target in a series of binds.

**"Hyper Bind."**

"Target secured!" he called, raising his weapon high above him. Another blade of energy formed.

A holographic screen suddenly appeared, along with Mesia's frantic voice. "Roas, you have an unknown incoming! I think it's another mage!"

"What?" Roas exclaimed, checking the screen—sure enough, a bright white light was streaking across the desert, kicking up a tail of sand behind it. Checking the coordinates, his head snapped up, searching.

There—off to his left, a white glow could be seen on the horizon.

He noted one thing about the unknown. _Fast!_

Mahindra was already breaking free of his binds. Roas cursed and channeled his magic again, forming another cluster of Napalm Shots that he sent hurtling at both his target and the incoming bogey. This was the last thing he needed.

The shots flew out, streaking at both targets and exploding violently, obscuring both from view. But before Roas could follow up, he saw the white light streaking around his attacks, and something flickering in the distance.

_A shot? Looks like his aim's off—_

The white projectile halted high in the air and flared, causing the mercenary to curse—before he could move, an alabaster wave of energy rocketed down from the sky, straight at him. He flung up a shield, but it wasn't enough; the beam crashed right on through it and struck him directly. Pain exploded through him as the shot sent him hurtling to the ground, smashing him hard into the sand.

Groaning, Roas picked himself up, noting the scorched cloth of his Barrier Jacket and the painful ringing in his ears. _No way that was a normal shot,_ he pondered, only to then hear his Device call out to him. **"Comrade!"**

His head snapped up just in time to see the white streak halt in the air above him, causing particles of magic to fly apart in a brilliant sunburst.

In its place, a man stood in midair, a flowing coat of white draped around his body. Black cloth and silver metal was overlaid around his sleeves and legs, with hints of gold set into the trim. Black hair slicked back across his scalp and a small soul patch on his chin framed tanned skin, bright hazel eyes, and a confident grin. Wings of white energy flit off the armor on his wrists and ankles, and a sleek, silver-plated rifle was held tight in his left hand. Its Cartridge System was impossible for him to miss.

_Is that…?_ Mesia's voice sounded in his mind, shocked at the man's sudden appearance. _Roas, be careful! My scans indicate he's a Triple-A ranked aerial mage!_

Roas growled, standing up and taking off to level himself with the interloper. Mahindra was also soaring up behind him, singed by the Napalm Shots but looking completely unworried about the newcomer who'd just intercepted him.

"The name's Warren Galant," said the newcomer, giving a salute that Roas, as a mercenary, was all too familiar with. "And I'll be your opponent."

Roas sneered. Taking on one mage was nothing new to him. Taking on two at a time wasn't outside of his range either. Magic bullets materialized around and behind him as he narrowed his eyes. "You're in my way, Galant, so if you don't leave, then I'll just have to shoot you down as well."

The interloper's grin only seemed to widen. Roas struck, thrusting Lancel forward, sending the Napalm Shots flying outward in all directions.

This mission just turned ugly.

* * *

><p>Warren jolted back, letting the shots collide against one another and detonate harmlessly in front of him. Mahindra was flying out of the way, using a Round Shield to defend himself, and Warren used the chance to attack, darting through the blasts and aiming with his Device.<p>

**"Lancer Dart!"** Aspina announced, loading a cartridge.

"Shoot 'em down!"

White-hot bolts seared through the air from Aspina's barrel, streaking at Roas. A few of them cut right through the autoguard and Barrier Jacket, and cursing, the man dove to the side, darting around the shots as Warren stitched more of them through the air after him. Seeing him flee, Warren cut off his attack and shot after him, and the two of them swept around a pair of buildings as Warren opened fire again.

Roas spun about, hurling more projectiles at his pursuer, only for Mahindra to zoom up into the sky, readying another beam. The Desert Wolf thrust his staff forward, but Lancel had already taken the initiative. **"Wave Dash."**

In a flash, Roas was gone, streaking high into the air away from the bombardment. He jolted to a stop, surprised by the sudden spell Lancel had cast, but he took advantage of it. A magic circle opened up beneath him as he locked on to his target, Mahindra. "Fire!"

The Aura Strafe cut through the evening sky, lighting it up in a pale streak as Mahindra narrowly avoided it. The beam cleaved through the building beneath them, causing it to implode and Mahindra to sneer. He aimed his staff upward, generating more projectiles, and soon orange spears of light were cutting up through the air at Roas, forcing him to retreat.

"Disappear, disappear, disappear," Mahindra whispered manically, sending more and more bursting projectiles after the Raven that had schemed to take his life.

_He's on the run!_ Warren remarked, grinning as he shot forward after Roas.

_Be careful,_ Mahindra warned, following. _This man… the Raven, he is a tricky opponent. Do not get overconfident._

_Gotcha. Let's take 'im down!_

Aspina chimed, loading a pair of shells. **"Overed Boost."**

A white glow encased Warren once more, and the two chased after him, forcing Roas onto the defensive. Bolts of magic rained down through the buildings, tearing them apart, and every time Roas tried to counter, the other was there with another attack. His Barrier Jacket was getting shredded apart piece by piece from every errant strike he couldn't block. He knew that if he didn't do something quick, this was going to end badly for him.

A series of orange bolts hurtled down at him, and he deflected them with a Round Shield before sending his own volley back up to meet the Desert Wolf. "Let's go, Lancel," he said, seeing Warren streak in, cutting across the sands. "Time to end this."

**"Alright, comrade,"** Lancel replied. **"Slasher Form!"**

Lancel's blade swung down and formed a Riser Sword, and Napalm Shots materialized all around him as he hit the dirt. Seeing the change, Warren came to a halt, sliding over the sand and regarding Roas warily. Across the way, Mahindra lowered himself to the dirt, trapping Roas between the two of them, but Roas kept his gaze centered on Warren.

"Give it up!" Mahindra ordered, aiming his staff at Roas' back. "Accept your fate with some dignity!"

"Your odds aren't improving much," the man in white remarked, cocking an eyebrow and swapping Aspina to his right hand. "Ready to give up?"

_Dumb question, _Roas thought, flinging his free hand forward, firing the Napalm Shots. "Bring it!"

"As you wish!" Warren yelled, shooting forward past the bullets. A cartridge was quickly ejected from the side of the Device, and energy coalesced beneath Aspina.

**"Aura Blade."**

A sharp, forward-jutting bayonet of white magic burst out from the rifle, and Roas narrowly avoided, taking a cut across his chest for the trouble. Lancel swung around at Warren's midsection, but the man had already twisted about and parried the Riser Slash away. Roas swung again, getting parried once more, as the Napalm Shots he fired were maneuvered back around—he had to catch Galant off-guard; his speed and Cartridge System put him at a level above Roas.

_Let's see if you can see this coming!_

Another Napalm Shot formed in his hand and Roas flung at Warren, causing him to roll back out of the way and letting the shot slam into a dune harmlessly before he charged back. The Aura Blade and Riser Slash sought repeatedly to land a killing blow against each other, but both Roas and Warren proved too maneuverable. A wide slash sent Warren reeling back, and the man in white charged at the sudden opening the Raven was giving him.

The bayonet struck hard against a Round Shield, and Warren smirked. A cartridge was slammed into the rifle, and magic built up through it.

**"Sybillium!" **Aspina called.

"What the—!"

A burst of wind smashed through his shield, sending Roas flying back. Though caught off guard, Roas knew it was his chance. He gestured with his hand, and his waiting Napalm Shots blasted down all around them.

None of them struck Warren Galant, who proved too fast and too maneuverable. But Roas wasn't targeting him specifically—each shot smashed into the sand and exploded all at once, sending a huge cloud of dust and energy into the air. Warren looked about wildly as Roas disappeared into the mess.

And Mahindra cursed as Roas shot out the other side, streaking right at him with a snarl on his face.

He threw up a Round Shield as quick as he could, and Roas brought down a Riser Slash right on top of it with enough strength to stagger the Desert Wolf. Roas angled his attack and pulled back on the trigger.

**"Riser Sword," **Lancel called as the blade launched at point blank, piercing the barrier. Blood flew as it cut through Mahindra's Barrier Jacket, laying open his shoulder. Mahindra cried out, but pressed forward, pushing off of the sand and darting forward. Zealous fire burned in his eyes as he whipped his staff around, smashing the butt end into Roas unprotected side. Thrown to the ground by the surprise attack, Roas looked up, just in time to see Warren flying out of the mess and Mahindra leveling his Device at his face.

"I will be the one to finish this!" snarled the Desert Wolf, gathering up his magic.

"Not this time!" Roas shot back, shoving his feet forward into Mahindra's chest. The man staggered back with a shocked cry, and Roas brought Lancel forward and aimed it at Warren.

**"Chain Bind."**

Glowing chains erupted from small magic circles all around Warren, who, caught off-guard, was quickly ensnared. Cursing, the interloper struggled against as his rifle loaded another cartridge to break it.

"Bastard!" Mahindra roared as he regained his footing, swinging his staff around. Roas shoved himself up off the ground just as the rebel fired, kicking up a wave of sand as the scattershot impacted it.

Roas landed feet-first in the sand from his jump, and looked over his shoulder as Lancel configured into its Slasher Form. The black and silver blade gleamed in the last bits of the sunset as Roas channeled his magic, forming a sheath of energy over it. Mahindra swung his staff around again to continue the fight.

Roas struck, pivoting on one leg and swinging Lancel around. The blade cleaved upwards through Mahindra's staff, surprising the freedom fighter and giving Roas the chance he needed. Bringing the blade back around, he closed the gap and swung.

**"Riser Slash."**

The weapon cut effortlessly through autoguard and Barrier Jacket, flesh and bone and came out the opposite side. Lancel quickly configured back into its Cannon Form as Roas pointed it at the just-freed Warren Galant, who halted in mid-air, shocked.

Mahindra collapsed to his knees before Roas, his sun-dark face ashen. Brown eyes looked up at the Raven, disbelief and respect warring within them.

"So this… is the end…?" the Desert Wolf whispered. "Or are you…?"

Mahindra was unable to finish his question, and with his last breath, he toppled backwards into the sand.

Burned and bloody, Roas could feel his body aching, but he kept his aim centered on Galant, who had finally lost his ever-present grin. A holographic screen appeared beside Roas, showing a trembling Mesia on it.

"Mahindra… has gone silent," she said before her voice regained its strength. "The mission was a success. Good work… come on home."

Roas nodded as the screen cut out. Wordlessly, Galant stepped back, knowing that this time, he had failed his mission. Roas gathered his magic and took to the air, keeping his gaze and Lancel centered on the man in white as he levitated upwards, before he finally turned and blasted off into the darkening sky.

* * *

><p>Roas clambered into the airlock and sealed it behind him, and took a step forward. He stumbled, but never hit the floor as Mesia grabbed hold of him, slipping her arm around him to support him. "You okay?" she asked. He nodded.<p>

"I've been worse." Not by much, though.

Quickly, the woman helped Roas to a spare room onboard the cruiser, knowing he'd need to relax and not aggravate his wounds further.

"That mission could've gone better," Roas grumbled as he sat back on the bed, not even fussing as Mesia started cleaning his wounds.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I should've detected his approach sooner."

"It happens," Roas said. "There's nothing to apologize for. We knew we weren't the only ones hiring mercenaries."

Mesia nodded, but stayed silent as she finished cleaning his wounds. A bright blue magic circle formed beneath Roas as she readied her own magic, preparing a healing spell to deal with the worst of his wounds. The silence continued for a brief moment before Mesia opened her mouth once more.

"Mahindra had been working alone for some time," she explained. Roas opened up one eye, watching her, but her face was kept carefully neutral. "He didn't want to endanger his Elitrean comrades."

So she'd dug a little deeper during her research of the target. Roas could also tell that this was likely the reason why Mesia hadn't expected Mahindra to have some backup. "It takes all kinds," he replied, closing his eyes again. "Sometimes there are heroes amongst thieves."

"A hero… hmm," Mesia frowned, knowing he was right. "Maybe so. He may have taken it all upon himself from the very start."


	3. Hidden Agendas

"So they met when he was in the middle of a mission?"

Emil nodded to confirm Fate's question. It almost seemed like a lifetime ago—the sudden intervention, the vicious battle that ensued, and the mounting frustration of Ailotana's mercenary. It would not be their last encounter. "Neither of them had any idea what would follow after that battle. He tried to keep everything professional, but the rivalry they formed seemed inevitable," he remarked, looking as if he were looking at a different time.

Fate gave the man a sympathetic smile, understanding exactly what it must've been like. "It was the same for Nanoha and I," she said. "Sometimes we can never see how things will change."

"All too true, Ms. Harlaown. All too true."

Emil took a labored breath, linking his hands together over his lap. The computer made a notification as his monitoring continued, registering the slight change in his health and causing one of the nurses to approach and examine the new finding.

"Ma'am? We may need to examine Mr. Valare if his conditions worsen," the nurse told Fate. "I'll have to ask you to leave in that event."

Fate nodded, understanding. Valare, however, only waved her off with his hand. "I still have enough strength in me to finish this tale," he remarked. Fate wondered, however, as she could see the immense weariness in his eyes.

As the nurse departed, the businessman clasped his hands together again, his eyes staring ahead, seeing nothing. For several moments, he said nothing. Fate kept silent, knowing the man needed to gather his thoughts.

"The battle in Elitrea—especially the defeat of the anti-establishment hero Mahindra—caused the value of our mercenary to soar," he finally continued. He knew this part all too well, his debilitation having given him plenty of time to reflect on his choices, and how they had led to this point.

His mistakes seemed all too clear.

"But while we were naively enjoying out successes, seeds of conflict threatened the… Pax Economica," he said, and to Fate, his disgust was all too apparent in his voice. "The battle for supremacy in the development of magic technology… the race between the newly-risen Dagenais group's PROGTECH, and the Emeraude group's Minervum Science spread to the other companies, accentuating existent antagonism as it went."

He sighed, laying his head back, his gaze locked on the white sheet of the tent's ceiling.

"This world's counterfeit 'peace' had begun to unravel. I saw that as Ailotana's golden opportunity."

**Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha MercenarieS:****  
><strong>**THE COLLARED**

**CHAPTER THREE:****  
><strong>**Hidden Agendas**

The Leganza company cruiser hovered silently in the clouds, just out of sight of the massive hangers situated nearby. The gray metal plates of the vessel seemed to shimmer as azure particles drifted across its surface, courtesy of the masking spell held over it by the woman operating it.

A cloud drifted by, washing silently over the viewplate of the ship's cockpit. Neither of the inhabitants within paid any mind to the odd effects of a painted replica of the cloud sliding over the magic field in all directions.

"Let's go over the mission," Mesia said, opening up several holographic screens around the two of them. Roas leaned forward, putting his arm on the back of her seat to get a better look at the data. "You're to destroy all of the new large-scale weaponry being built in Emeraude's Kasuto Arsenal."

Roas noted how ironic working for Ailotana and not for any specific corporation could be—Only a few missions back, he had defended the Kasuto facility from a terrorist excursion that had aimed to secure the production hangers for their own purposes. He glanced at the mission data, seeking out the provider, blinking when he saw the label.

"Emeraude? I thought they owned this place."

"The Kasuto facility has announced it's leaving the Emeraude corporation. This operation looks to be a matter of internal housecleaning," she explained to him, frowning distastefully at the idea. The corporation seemed to have something within the facility that they didn't want getting out. Something the Administration Bureau would likely shut them down for, Emil had felt when he had given her the mission. "The ex-Emeraude guards should still be in the facility, but you've been given clearance to eliminate them if they endanger the mission."

"Doesn't sound like it'd be too difficult," Roas remarked. "At least we know the layout of this place already."

Mesia nodded. "Keep in mind that PROGTECH has supported the Kasuto Arsenal for some time, Roas—it's possible they've offered some backup now as well."

She turned in her seat to face him directly, causing him to stand back. "Those are your orders," she said, looking up at him while calculating a spell in her head. "I'm not sure what it'll look like in there, so watch your step, okay?"

"I'll be fine," Roas said as he took a couple steps back. "Lancel? Set up."

**"Drive ignition."**

Green light encompassed Roas for a brief moment as his Barrier Jacket constituted, and when it broke, Lancel had already configured into its Cannon Form. Finishing the calculation, Mesia held her hand out, causing a magic circle to form beneath the mercenary. "Beginning transfer."

Within moments, his body was enveloped in blue light, before quickly fading from view.

* * *

><p>On the other side of known dimensional space, day had already begun on the first Administered World within Bureau space, the homeworld of Mid-Childa. In the megalopolis capitol of Cranagan, life proceeded on as normal, already having recovered from the sudden attack of combat cyborgs and Gadget Drones as the Saint's Cradle, once thought to have been lost forever, had risen from the earth in what was soon known as the Jail Scaglietti Incident. The city bustled as cars and people traveled through the streets, and in one particular part of the city, the occasional passerby wondered about the curious lack of explosions and combat that could usually be heard in the training sector of the military outpost in the area. The sounds of the renowned Ace of Aces drilling her students had become as common a sound as the dull roar of conversations and car engines in the rest of the city.<p>

Four young cadets in training gear waited patiently for their instructor to arrive from the base's commissary, idly talking among themselves as they waited for the vice captain to resume their training for the day, all of them unsure as to why there had been a delay in their schedule. Regardless, the three girls and one boy knew that the delay would be short and soon they'd be back to the grind.

"Ne, Tea, what do you think it could be?" Subaru asked, glancing over at the pigtailed redhead as she began warming up with some stretches.

"It doesn't matter what it is," the other girl replied, not even bothering to look back at her friend. "If it's important, I'm sure they'll let us know what's going on."

"I guess so," Subaru replied with a laugh. "Still, I can't help but wonder."

"Captain Vita probably just had to deal with some distraction," the youngest girl, Caro, spoke up. "She's probably on her way right now."

"It's nothing to get concerned over," said the voice of an older woman. The four of them spun around in surprise.

"Nanoha-san!" Erio exclaimed, standing up from his own warm-up stretches. "Wasn't Vice Captain Vita supposed to be training us today?"

Nanoha Takamachi laughed and smiled, nodding. "Vita-chan had to go to a sudden meeting that Hayate-chan called," she explained. "So I'll be filling in for her today. So, shall we get started?"

"Yes ma'am!" the four of them said in chorus.

Soon, the expected sounds of combat erupted through the training grounds as the Ace of Aces once again began training her students. It was just another normal day for them.

* * *

><p>Riot Force Six's commander, however, could only wish her day was just like any other. But that hope had quickly evaporated shortly after the surprise visit of a pair of Enforcers an hour ago.<p>

Lieutenant Colonel Hayate Yagami could feel the headache coming on as the report continued, and she was glad that she had Shamal on hand for when the meeting would end. She raised her hands to her temples and slowly messaged them, clenching her eyes tight.

"This can't be possible," she said to the two Enforcers. "There's no way this can be happening. The fact that I'm still here proves that."

"I still think you're pulling our leg," Vita grumbled from where she sat, her arms crossed, glaring at them. "Mages with their Linker Cores stolen? This is a sick joke you're pulling on us."

Both men paled slightly, both being aware of Vita's typical demeanor. Neither of them wished to be crushed by the diminutive knight. "We understand your skepticism, ma'am, but we assure you, this incident is unfortunately very real," said the elder of the two, Enforcer Isuzu, frowning sympathetically. "The Director felt it best that we inform you of this case."

For the past hour and a half, the two Enforcers had explained in detail how a series of previously-thought-to-be unconnected attacks on mages, both affiliated with the Bureau and regular civilians with magical talent, that ended with each person slain. At first, the attacks had been treated as regular homicides, but soon enough, a disturbing detail had begun to crop up in each of the autopsies: Each victim showed tell-tale signs that their Linker Cores had been completely removed.

As the explanations continued, the four Wolkenritter had grown increasingly agitated and uncomfortable, though both Enforcers had been quick to point out that they were currently not being considered suspects in the case.

"Is it possible that the Book of Darkness has somehow resurfaced?" The younger-looking Enforcer Altis' handsome features were marred by the worried look—he was well aware that the question needed to be asked. He was also well aware that it might offend the people he was addressing.

"No, not at all," Shamal said, her voice equally worried and her expression distressed. "Reinforce ensured that the Tome would disappear with her when she was sealed away. It was the only surefire way to stop the Automatic Defense Program from resurrecting."

"It's possible that another Lost Logia has been discovered, one that functions in a similar manner," Zafira said. Beside him, Hayate shuddered at the thought of another Lost Logia with the same magic-draining properties as the Book of Darkness being on the loose somewhere in Bureau territory.

"Well, if we want to get this solved, we better start right away, huh?" Hayate said. The woman summoned up a screen and placed a call.

A little more than five minutes later, the briefing room door opened up, allowing Fate T. Harlaown admittance into the chamber. As she entered, she immediately took note of the other two Enforcers and the serious look on her friend's face, and knew that she was here on official business. "Reporting as ordered, Colonel Yagami," she said, saluting.

"At ease, Captain," Hayate said, gesturing to one of the open seats. "We have a situation developing within the Administrated Worlds and I'd like for you to keep an eye on it," she explained. She briefed Fate on what the Enforcers had notified her of. "The possibility of a Lost Logia being involved is likely, so we'll need to make sure that it's found immediately."

Fate nodded and turned to the other Enforcers. "Do you have any leads on who may be perpetrating the attacks?" she asked. Isuzu brought up several holographic screens for them to view. Many of them showed various recovered footage, depicting the obliteration of what looked to be a foreign military compound.

"Several days ago, on the newly Administrated World of Exavil, a military installation where several Air Force mages had been stationed came under attack by a single assailant," he explained. "Unfortunately, there were no survivors, even among the Bureau personnel. While the autopsy reports haven't come in yet, initial studies show signs that each mage had their linker cores removed entirely."

They forwarded through the captured footage before coming across a single frame that they froze and enhanced. A man with shaggy black hair was halted mid-flight, the ends of his black coat fluttering out in the same direction as his outstretched arm. Held in it was a long, ebon-plated staff, its ruby-colored interface orb cradled around a sharp, almost hook-shaped bayonet of sorts. Crimson magic could be spotted hurtling through the air around the depicted mage.

"That's…!" Fate stood, recognizing the man immediately.

"You know him?" Vita remarked, cocking an eyebrow at Fate.

"… yes," she admitted. She remained standing, staring at the image of the man on the screen. "Salaux Enterra. He's a well-known mercenary for hire, and a suspect in numerous crimes committed through various worlds, administrated or not. I've worked on a number of cases in which he was a suspect."

"So we just capture this guy and make him tell us what he knows," said the diminutive knight. Vita laced her hands together behind her pigtails and leaned back in her chair.

"It's not that simple," Fate said, returning to her seat. The other two Enforcers both nodded, frowns on their faces. "Mercenaries like Enterra are mages, and they're all incredibly powerful. And none of them are fond of the Bureau. There is a saying they like to say about us… 'the Bureau takes no prisoners.'"

"That's not correct, though," Shamal said, with the other Wolkenritter nodding as well—after all, they had proven themselves far more dangerous, yet the Bureau had strived to arrest them, not execute them. "The Bureau would only arrest them and try to rehabilitate those that are willing."

"That still holds true," Enforcer Isuzu agreed. "We don't know who or what propagated the saying, but they take to it. Every time we corner one, these mercenaries immediately resort to lethal force to escape. Too often we're forced to kill them to prevent harm coming to innocents in the surrounding area. And their power proves that they're more than capable of killing any of our men if we treat it too lightly."

"So why can't we go after one of the weaker ones? An operation this big can't be perpetrated by just one man alone," Hayate said, referring to the linker core abductions. "If whoever is causing this hired one mercenary, they'll have hired others."

"There aren't any 'weak' mage mercenaries within Administrated space," Altis replied. "Every one of them has more than enough power and skill to go head to head with the best mages the Bureau has to offer. And for that same reason, that's why there's so little of them."

"I don't understand," the Belkan mage said.

"Mercenaries have another saying among them," Fate spoke up. "One that doesn't relate to how they feel about the Bureau. _In den Mythos, Gott ist Kraft._"

Almost immediately, both Signum and Vita understood, and grimaced. It took several more seconds before the Saint Church's verse made sense to Hayate as well.

_In the Myth, God is Force._

* * *

><p>In one instant, the blast doors to the facility's entrance were torn apart, becoming so much scrap metal that hurtled down the transport tunnel, trashing the strewn equipment and cutting down the few guards that had been stationed there. Roas burst through the gaping wound in the doors, Lancel thrust out before him, but a quick scan showed that the few guards here had already been neutralized. "I'm in," he announced over a window, launching himself forward down the copper-colored shaft.<p>

"Understood. You're after the three massive weapons under construction," Mesia replied, appearing on the screen. "I'll send you their positions from here. Let's get started."

A map of the facility appeared, showing that his path would branch up ahead, both directions leading to another branch, each of which ended in a gigantic construction dock. _Two targets to the left, one to the right… simple enough,_ he thought.

Klaxons suddenly started blaring, causing red emergency lights to bathe the facility in a bloody shade. _"Intruder in the Arsenal!"_ a panicky male voice shouted through the intercom speakers. _"We're under attack! All security personnel prepare to intercept!"[i]_

"Emeraude forces have begun deployment," Mesia warned as she detected the signatures of several remote weapons. "You have clearance to eliminate them if it's necessary."

Roas nodded and brought Lancel up to his chest. "Show me what's up ahead!" he ordered, causing Lancel to chime.

_**"Detection."**_

A trio of orbs materialized around Roas and sped off, branching off at the end of the hallway and seeking out the different paths. Roas ignored the vision of two orbs and relegated the data recording to Lancel as he shot off to the right, following after the lone search spell. Green overlaid his vision as the search orb noted a series of legged gun drones, each one using wheeled feet to travel towards him down the hall. Locking onto each one in his head, he channeled again.

"Napalm Shot, _fire!_"

Magic bullets hurtled down the tunnel, smashing into each of the drones and detonating them violently. Fire and shrapnel flew through the air, forcing Roas to use an Aegis spell to deflect it away from him as he shot past them. A second wave of drones got the same treatment, and the hallway was littered with the remains of the machines. Unopposed, the Detection spell entered a massive turnstile, immediately picking up the signatures of security guards and a trio of tanks.

The data flooded into Roas' mind as he shot in after it. The massive blast doors for the dock were just ahead, and he could see panicking construction workers scrambling off the scaffolding. The spell picked up the terrified voices of some of the men and women inside, transferring the sounds back to him.

_"—A mage!?"_

"—What's he doing here!?—"

"—Emeraude's really out for blood—!"

"Dock infiltrated," Mesia remarked in a new window as Lancel updated her on the environment. "Your objective is at twelve o'clock. Be careful in there; there's a defensive squadron in place."

A high-velocity slug tore through the air next to his head, causing his ears to ring from the sound. Cursing, Roas backpedaled in the air as more slugs tore up at him, deflecting away the ones that got too close with the autoguard. _Must've ramped up the security measures since my last visit!_ he thought. The guards had armed themselves using mass drivers—they were _very_ serious about breaking away from Emeraude.

A cannon shell tore through the air, and Roas ducked under it, generating a large projectile in front of him. He thrust his Device forward, pulling the trigger.

**"Napalm Burst."**

The green sphere rocketed through the air, straight at the tank. Detachedly, Roas noted that the machine had started backing up as the projectile came in, but it wasn't meant for the tank—as it neared, it blew apart into smaller bullets, each of them slamming into the surprised guards and knocking them flat. He ignored the tanks completely, soaring up and through the blast doors—he had to see the target and find the best way of killing it.

"There's your target," Mesia said as he saw it. "It's _huge!_"

Indeed it was—dozens of long, thin plates arced over one another to form a gigantic sphere. Parts of it lay exposed, a cylindrical depression in its center forming some sort of cannon barrel. The whole contraption looked like it fitted onto some sort of mobile platform—

Lancel chimed a warning, causing Roas to spin around and throw up a Round Shield. The cannon shell exploded hard against it, causing him to shudder against its shockwave. As the smoke cleared, his blue eyes narrowed into slits. _So much for playing nice._

Lancel's detection spell made it to the other two docks, and in his mind's eye he saw other targets—panicked security guards, more tanks, even a single _Golem_-class mechanoid reacting to the spell's presence. The Detection spheres raced up to the cannons, both of which were in various states of completion, and began downloading as much data as they could, relaying the info back to Lancel.

A magic circle erupted beneath Roas' feet as he thrust Lancel upwards. _"Bring it!"_ he roared in challenge, swinging his Device down and launching the newly-formed Napalm Shots at the tanks. The chamber shuddered as explosions ripped the nearest machine apart. Anti-air missiles shot up from the remaining two, streaking towards him and turning the air into fire. He ducked and swerved around the blasts, shooting out from the blossoming fire flower and opening fire with another volley into the hanger, causing scaffolding and cranes to shatter and collapse around the weapon. The massive cannon dented and shuddered as the shrapnel rained down around it.

At the last moment, Roas darted to the side, letting the cannon shells whiz past and slam into the weapon itself, further damaging it. _Damn, this thing can take a beating,_ he grumbled, spinning about in midair and generating a magic circle.

**"Aura Strafe,"** Lancel announced, gathering up magical energy in front of it. One squeeze of the trigger sent the focused beam right through one the turret of the second tank, detonating its ammo and blowing it apart in a spectacular explosion. Roas let fly with more magic, sending projectiles hurtling into the ceiling and the weapon, collapsing the ceiling on it. Terrified screams broke out from the fleeing workman the debris fell, forcing them to leap away from the dangers.

Roas dropped altitude as the destruction started to cause a chain reaction; the falling scaffolding tearing itself apart under the stress. His feet hit the ground but his flight kept going, letting him skim past the surviving tank as it tried to follow his movements. Targeting rings opened up around Lancel as he channeled. Pivoting in his slide, he aimed Lancel up at the damaged weapon and centered the target the best he could, and fired the Aura Strafe again.

The pale green beam cut through the air, vaporizing part of the tank's barrel and continuing forward, passing right through the barrel of the damaged weapon as it fell from its supports. Steam was jettisoned from his Device, and pivoting once more, Roas took off, feeling the heat on his back as the weapon went critical and exploded.

"Massive weapon destroyed," his operator confirmed, registering the event. "Two objectives remain."

"I'm sending you the data Lancel's picked up on the weapons," he replied. "Find me an easier way of destroying these things."

"Roger that. Give me a minute."

Lancel transmitted the data for Mesia's peruse as Roas fled down the hallway, backtracking to the entrance. The Detection spell had served its purpose; he knew where his enemies lay and was readying the spells he needed to take them out, so he dismissed the search spell to let Lancel focus on other details. The intercom was still blaring all around him:

_"All non-combat personnel evacuate! Save yourselves, get out of here!"_

Fine with me,

Roas thought. _Less people to get in my way._

He sped down the hallway and into another turnstile, spinning to the left and opening fire against the security detail. Flechettes and Napalm Shots hurtled through the air at one another, with explosions scattering the guards and a single high-velocity round punching through the autoguard and slamming painfully into Roas' shoulder. He jolted with the impacted, hitting the ground on both feet.

**"Analysis complete,"** Lancel said suddenly as a holographic window appeared. A wireframe blueprint of the cannon, which had opened up into a more conical shape, appeared on the screen, with a few readouts giving miscellaneous data. Roas ignored it as another flechette tried to take his head off. He opened up a Round Shield to block the incoming rounds while Lancel finished. **"Mana intake ports connect to main focus array and energy core."**

"Perfect," Roas said, taking to the air again, narrowly avoiding the energy blast of the lone Golem mechanoid. Waving his hand, he formed a series of Napalm shots and sent them hurtling down at his enemies, forcing the mechanoid back as the remaining guards scrambled, their weapons forgotten. A holographic window appeared next to his face as Lancel detected a pair of tanks coming in from a side hanger. Roas spun and channeled, causing a runic circle to appear beneath the closer of the two tanks.

**"Atomic Burn!"** Lancel announced as he pulled the trigger.

A filmy screen of energy erupted around it. The air suddenly charged within it, green-white particles of magic punching through and bombarding the armor and everyone within it. Satisfied it was out of the fight, Roas darted back around, taking to the air to avoid another shot from the mechanoid. More Napalm Shots sent the machine backpedaling away, and Roas struck.

**"Slasher Form."**

Lancel's blade swung into position as Roas charged forward, straight above the massive weapon. He lashed out, severing every chain he saw, and in seconds the gravity succeeded, causing the cannon to plummet, crushing the Golem beneath its weight. Flying back, Roas summoned up another volley of magic bullets and sent them flying into the mana intake ports, using them to destroy the core within. Almost instantly, the weapon exploded, almost knocking him clear out of the room.

Roas dove back into the hallway, coughing and with his Barrier Jacket smoldering. _Gotta stay clear of that next time,_ he thought, annoyed at the careless mistake.

"That's another massive weapon destroyed," Mesia said. "Just one left."

"I'll be done soon. I know what to do to kill these things now," he remarked.

"I haven't picked up any PROGTECH forces so far," Mesia told him. "So much the better. Let's finish up this mission."

"Roger that. Let's go, Lancel!"

**"Affirmative, comrade!"**

* * *

><p>Glancing at the monitor once more, Mesia made an adjustment to the cruiser's sensors and returned her attention back to the plethora of screens opened up around her. Between the maps and the data readouts provided by a combination of Lancel's reconnaissance and the ship's sensor arrays, the operator had a perfect view of the operation area Roas was engaged in. Various windows depicted different angles of the mercenary as he proceeded down the final hallway, obliterating the small platoon of gun drones that stood between him and the final target.<p>

The main screen made a sound as she received an affirmative from Lancel. Seeing Roas enter the turnstile for this set of hangers, she nodded to herself. "That's the last target," she told him. "It's not as heavily defended as the other two."

As the mercenary ducked and weaved through the flurry of projectiles, Mesia could see what Emil had said, about how Roas was without a doubt, a dangerous man. He twisted and twitched aside from each of the projectiles, expending a minimal amount of energy and using each moment to send another projectile or two back down at his opponent. And just as suddenly, he swooped in with a deadly grace, Lancel's blade cutting a path through the security detail and letting well-placed magic projectiles to obliterate the surprised and distracted remnants of his opposition.

Elitrea's history and culture spoke of a curious folktale about the rare strain of black birds that populated select locations on the planet of Exavil. These birds had been attributed to those of great cunning, to people who used their mind rather than their power to overwhelm and crush their foes, a belief that was held among a number of people on many non-Administrated worlds. Some natives said that the ebon-feathered creature appeared during times of turmoil, harbingers of a great change.

Seeing the warrior that she had befriended as he danced among his opponents and tore them asunder, Mesia was beginning to see just why Mahindra had accused Roas Lacetti of being a Raven.

The final construction dock fared no better than the previous one—in moments, Roas had caused the entire facility to come crashing down as the cannon's weakness was exploited and the weapon itself rendered into burning scrap.

"All objectives successfully destroyed. The mission was a success," she confirmed for both him and the mission report. "Good work. Please head back."

And with his task done, Roas was just as quick in retreating, darting into the tunnel at high speeds and careening through to the exit. The moment he landed outside of the facility, the transfer spell swept him up into the ship in a flurry of magic. Their mission completed, Mesia had the ship angle around and take off, on a return course for Ailotana. Quadruple engines on the four back wings of the ship powered through the sky, ensuring that by the time PROGTECH or the Bureau appeared to investigate the incident, they would be long gone.

Minutes later, Roas arrived on the bridge, his Barrier Jacket already dismissed and Lancel in its storage form, dangling from the cuff of the shirt sleeve. The woman offered him a brief smile as he sat in a spare seat before she turned her gaze back to the viewscreen. She had caught him with a brief half-smile of his own, and she did her best to push the images of him ruthlessly cutting down the rogue security forces of the Kasuto Arsenal facility out of her mind.

She brought up a document she had procured on her pre-mission research and glanced over it, settling on one detail that stood out to her. "The Kasuto team was known as the… 'heretical zealots' of Emeraude," she started, causing Roas to look up at her and the image she had on the screen.

"That's an odd name for a group of scientists and engineers," he remarked.

"More than any profits or politics… they may have just been in love with their research," the redhead explained. "They were driven by it, regardless of however dangerous it was…"

She shook her head for a moment, frowning. "That's just the impression I get."

"What makes you think that?" the mercenary asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Mesia remained silent for several minutes, her eyes locked onto the open sky on the viewplate. After a moment, she finally spoke.

"… maybe because that's how my father was," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

* * *

><p>"Right now, he's the only link we've got," Enforcer Isuzu told Hayate, Fate, and the Wolkenritter. "We still haven't managed to trace his movements past this attack, but if the autopsy reports from Exavil are correct, then these incidents are linked together. There'll be clues we may have missed during the initial investigations."<p>

"We'll cooperate, of course," Hayate told the pair. "We know just how bad this could be. We'll make a thorough scan of the database of known Lost Logia to see if we know anything about what could be causing this. The Infinite Library may have something we can use."

"In the meantime, have some Enforcers investigate worlds with high populations of creatures with Linker Cores," Signum spoke up, her arms folded beneath her breasts.

Beside the knight, Vita was nodding. "We hunted such creatures for their Linker Cores as an alternative to fighting mages in the last Book of Darkness incident when we could," she explained.

"We'll do just that," Altis said. "Any help you can lend us is appreciated."

Hayate nodded, brushing a strand of her brown hair out of her face as she stood. "Well then, it looks like we all know what we need to do, doesn't it?" she remarked. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Isuzu-san, Altis-san. Let's get to work—you're dismissed."

The two Enforcers both stood straighter and saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

The meeting broke up, with the two Enforcers being followed out of the room by Hayate's knights—Vita in particular muttered a Belkan oath under her breath as she departed.

"Fate-chan, walk with me?" Hayate gestured to her friend as the two gathered up their things from the table. They exited the room together, headed for Hayate's office.

"So just how much trouble is this going to be?" Hayate asked. "You didn't look thrilled when you saw this Enterra character."

"I can't say," Fate sighed, her gaze turning to the ceiling. "He's strong. He's as skilled and as powerful as Nanoha, and he has no love for us. Bringing him in will be difficult. Even more so if he's assembled a team this time as well."

"Sounds like you two have a bit of a history," remarked Hayate, glancing at her blond-haired friend.

Fate shook her head. "I only encountered him a few times, and I only fought him once… but it was enough to find out just how dangerous he is. He's ruthless in battle, utterly unafraid of the odds, and he'll kill anyone who stands in his way of his objective. The last time we had fought… I had been trying to uncover the reason for Tiffany's involvement in the case, trying to find out why she was doing it…"

Hayate glanced sideways at Fate, frowning sympathetically—she and Nanoha had both knew of Fate's preoccupation with those who had been abandoned and left to rot by their peers or their family. She had heard of the Enforcer's failure with the woman known as Tiffany Berlinetta.

"Before I could make any kind of breakthrough with her, Enterra arrived and made sure I couldn't continue," Fate finished lamely. "I haven't been able to get through to Tiffany yet. As long as she remains with Salaux Enterra, I doubt I ever will."

Hayate pursed her lips, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. "Sounds like a real jerk," she remarked.

"Actually, as far as criminals go, I've never met a more cordial person."

* * *

><p>The day was bright in Ailotana, with the sun shining down on the settlement between the sparse clouds in the sky. Sounds of laughter and light conversation mingled with delicious aromas wafting out from the kitchens of the Mid-Childan-inspired restaurant. The inhabitants enjoyed one another's company as they dined on the exotic pastas and other cuisines, living out another peaceful day—they were already putting the past troubles behind, trying to forget the war that still raged between the Time-Space Administration Bureau and the native anti-establishment military organizations.<p>

A teenaged waitress nodded as she finished jotting down an order for coffee and excused herself, leaving Emil Valare to return to the newspaper he held in his hands. He had given the various sections a light perusal, but focused most of his attention on the business sections and the goings-on printed there. As he suspected, Mishima Heavy Industries was already stepping up to the plate in the reconstruction of Aspho, while the Bureau investigation into the assault was still ongoing.

_Now that I think about it, it's not completely out of the question that they instigated the attack themselves,_ the man thought, having seen some of the newer tactics utilized by the companies since Roas' employment. _But… that's still a very big risk, even for them._

That Mishima might've hired another mercenary while they partook of Roas' services wouldn't have surprised the businessman at all. Valare turned the page to continue the article when he heard the voices around him quiet somewhat. He looked up to see what was the matter, just in time to see the mercenary in question pull back the other chair at the table and sit. "Ah, you've arrived," he greeted, gesturing to him. "I thought you might appreciate meeting me somewhere where it'd be more familiar."

Roas, for all the perceived menace the populace saw in him, looked torn between wariness and nervousness as he sat down across from the businessman. "Not really," he remarked. "This place is a lot fancier than anywhere I went when I lived on Mid-Childa."

"Is that so? Well then, it seems you were fortunate that Mesia rescued you when she did," Valare said. "Your status is certainly improving."

Roas looked about the restaurant's patio, at the others giving him the occasional furtive glance. Many of the people were whispering amongst one another as they eyed him, uneasy with his presence. The mercenary gave Valare a sidelong glance. "Sure, that's one way of putting it." He clasped his hands together and leaned on the table as he turned back to his employer. "I don't see Mesia here—she not joining us?"

"No, I had her stay at the lab for now," Valare said. "She's working on the adjustments to Lancel that you requested; she should have them done before the day is done. I also pointed out to her that she'd have time to work on her old project; with Lancel under her care, she can continue it."

Before Roas could ask, movement near the table caused him to stall his question and to look up at the newcomer. The waitress was back, and as she handed Valare his coffee, the mercenary saw her make a nervous glance at him and give the slightest tremble. He sighed—they just didn't seem to be getting any better around him. The younger ones like that child, Kia, didn't know better, but the older they got, the more worried they were.

_You shouldn't have to,_ his friend's voice spoke up from his memories. He frowned again at Mesia's idealistic nature.

"So, um, may I take your order, sir?" she asked Valare. Picking up a menu, the man glanced at its contents and quickly made his order. The girl wrote it down before turning to Roas, who had also picked up his menu.

"A-and your order, um, sir?" she asked, stuttering slightly.

"Relax, will you?" he said, causing her to flinch. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Y-yes sir," she muttered lamely. "Your order?"

He picked his meal off the menu and told it to the girl, who was all too happy to jot it down and leave.

"Still having trouble fitting in?" Valare remarked, eyeing the man. Roas snorted and shook his head.

"Mesia said that things should get better, but I know better than to think that'll happen. You said something about Lancel… what's that got to do with this project of hers, anyway?"

"Ah. Well, you seem to be familiar with Device technology. You've heard of the fourth generation terminal?"

"Well, yeah. The physical core reinforcement of Intelligent Devices that came with the refinement of the Cartridge System," Roas answered. "You said Raising Heart and Bardiche were fourth generation terminals."

"That's correct. You see, before his accident, Professor Leganza was working on the mass production model of an offshoot of that research on Devices," Valare explained. "The creation of a new Device standard fit for all kinds of combat—something that Belkan-style and Mid-style mages could use without issue."

"An all-style Device for any kind of mage?" Roas remarked, incredulous. "That's a little… ambitious."

"So it is. But he was working towards it—a Device that can be tuned to all ranges of combat. You've seen the form that Lancel takes when you initialize it," Valare pointed out, gesturing with his coffee mug. "Equal capability in melee and ranged combat, with the ability and know-how to guide and take command when you needed the aid. And it learns from you and bends its strengths to suit your needs.

"Avon's latest project, like the one before it, was made with the Administration Bureau in mind, hoping to replace the standard Devices they use today. He wanted to strengthen the organization and help save lives," remarked the businessman. "And an accomplishment like that would've ensured that Leganza Tech Enterprises wouldn't be in the pit it's in right now. We would've been able to keep this place afloat a lot more easily."

"So he didn't manage to complete before the accident," Roas concluded, getting a nod from his employer.

"And that's why Mesia's taken it upon herself to complete it," Valare said with a nod. "It helps her keep her mind off of things during her off time."

"Mmn. What kind of man was her father?" asked the mercenary. "She mentioned him back on that last mission. Something about how he was like the team at Kasuto Arsenal."

"Avon?" Valare took a sip of his coffee and used the time to gather his thoughts.

"Avon was a… very driven man," Valare said as he set his mug down. "He always pursued his work with a single-mindedness that could border on obsession. When a new idea took hold, he would shut himself out from the world for hours, exploring every possible path the research could take. And once he had his mind set, he pursued it with such an intensity that his colleagues in Leganza Tech could barely keep up."

"Sounds like a lot of scientists connected to the Bureau these days," Roas remarked sarcastically, leaning back in his seat. The older man chuckled at the mercenary's comment.

"Ah, but as much of a scientist he was, Avon was no Scaglietti, Mr. Lacetti," Valare assured him. "Avon was no monster. He never let his projects carelessly endanger lives. He didn't delve into toxic ethics to turn a profit. I can't say the same about some of the other corporations I've had dealings with. At his worst, all you can rightfully accuse him of is some familial neglect."

"Neglect?"

"It's a common occurrence among scientists. Oftentimes they find their work too important to halt it. And despite that, Avon still managed to maintain his relationship with his daughter to a degree, and she certainly holds no ill will towards him," Valare said. "She valued his contributions and she was crushed when she learned of the accident that took his life. As it stands, she was absolutely incensed when she found out what lengths the Dagenais corporation had gone to secure his work through those damnable contracts he made."

Roas arched an eyebrow—he remembered Valare saying something about those contracts back when he had first proposed the business venture of his employment to the mercenary. "You always sound angry when you mention those," he said.

"Avon was a scientist first and foremost," Valare said ruefully. "The business aspect never interested him very much, which is why he hired me. But he only did so after he found it too complicated. If I had known about the contracts he had made with Dagenais and PROGTECH before then… but now, we'll have to make due. Though I do wonder what will happen if we have to take some missions from either of those companies."

"She's not going to be pleased about that, will she?" Roas asked.

"No. Not in the slightest, I'm afraid," the business man confirmed.

"I'll see about talking to her about it," the mercenary said. "Maybe I can get her to let go for a bit."

The waitress then returned, carrying a large tray with their food, and she made it a point to serve the two men their meal quickly and to leave—she was most grateful when Roas said he didn't need anything else from her.

"Well now," Valare said, gesturing to their meal. "Dig in."

* * *

><p>Motes of light drifted amongst the abyssal blackness, cycling aimlessly as they steadily built up. More and more of them appeared, causing them to gather in a spiral around one another. The mana continued to gather, and it grew wilder as it was compressed. The hum of energy continued to rise as brilliant spheres of light gathered and converged on one another, drawing in more particles as they struggled to get free from some unseen grasp. The light grew implausibly brighter as the nexus grew smaller, becoming nothing more than a pinprick.<p>

Thunder clapped within the chamber as the energy burst, the pinprick becoming a miniature sun as it bolted downwards down the shaft from the foreboding black halo. The particles swarmed after it, as if magnetized, forming sheets of lightning that bounced against protective walls. And as suddenly as lightning, all was quiet, with only a few tines of energy still lancing down from the mounted device.

The sounds of industry were muted this deep within the facility, but they could be hear throughout it nonetheless. Men and women in labcoats trailed and forth through the facility, checking terminals and screens in the different workstations and examining the assembly line beneath them from a safe distance on the catwalks. Titanic forms slowly traveled down a set path on the conveyors as they were poked and prodded by automatons and various instruments.

"… and that's it. The payment's been transferred to your account," the woman said over a holographic screen, causing the one man lounging on a out-of-the-way stack of metallic containers to look up. Albireo grinned as he thumbed a gloved hand over the screen, checking the amount

"Fantastic," he said, satisfied with the amount. Not bad for a single-merc run—at this rate he'd be giving Enterra a run for the money. Literally. "You're a doll, Carina."

"You're not nearly as charming as you think you are, Rochdale," the blond-haired woman on the screen said in a flat tone, unperturbed by the mercenary's compliment. "Let me know when the next target's been picked."

Albireo only smirked. "Always so receptive, aren't you? I'm sure the boss will let you know when the next mission's ready, Scion."

Without waiting for a reply, the mercenary shut down the screen, causing Carina Scion's countenance to disappear entirely. Just in time, too—a nearby service elevator in the wall suddenly activated, causing yellow lights and klaxons to flare up. It wasn't long before the lift itself appeared, and Albireo quickly hopped off of the crates. The scientists tended to get upset with him when he was on them, and when the scientists got upset with him, Enterra got upset with him.

It was never worth getting Enterra upset with him.

It was just as well—the two men and one woman standing in the service lift as it settled into place were so much more important than the labcoats around here. Anyone could tell right away that the man and the woman standing behind and at either side of the one in the middle weren't regular employees. Or even regular people. The stern looking man with the long black hair was clad in plates of a dull black armor set over vermillion robes and had a light-colored scarf clasped around his color, while the blue-haired woman was in a long, flowing sleeveless dress with slits up the sides of the skirt armored boots, and a metal gauntlet on her right hand.

Anyone could recognize Barrier Jackets and mercenaries when they saw them.

As such, the man stepping off the lift ahead of them looked almost out of place in his crisp, navy-blue business suit. The well-kept, dark hair and the low light level in the warehouse section of the facility made him look unnaturally pale, and also made his features difficult to make out, his expression difficult to read.

The man gave Albireo a scrutinizing look, taking in the mercenary's sun-dark complexion and bleached hair and goatee. Like the two mercenaries behind him, he could see that Albireo was also clad in his Barrier Jacket. "Completed another mission, Mr. Rochdale?" he asked, pausing briefly.

"You got it. Already made the delivery and got the payment," he remarked. "Just need the boss to show up for the next target."

The businessman said nothing, and merely regarded the mercenary briefly before nodding and heading forward. Both of his bodyguards regarded Albireo with cool stares as they passed. Once they had their backs turned to him, he sneered.

As the businessman entered the laboratory proper, several scientists and technicians came rushing up to greet him and make the reports they knew he was there for. Beneath the catwalks they stood on, the machinery toiled endlessly, moving each of the gigantic forms on the conveyor to their position beneath the black halo and through the augmentation centers. Particles drifted to and fro amongst the technological ring, steadily accelerating with a rising pitch as the ring built up another charge.

Crimson light suddenly burst up into the storage room as a runic circle materialized and spread out across the floor, allowing a human figure sheathed in red light to form at its center. The light faded within moments as Supplice tapped against the steel floor, causing the magic circle to vanish. The businessman and his two associates turned about to face Salaux Enterra.

"Hey, boss," Albireo greeted, saluting the man briefly. "Back already?"

Salaux nodded, but didn't look back at his teammate—the businessman was already approaching him.

"So you've returned, Mr. Enterra," he greeted the mercenary, extending his hand. The black-coated merc quickly accepted it and gave his employer a firm handshake. "I take it your mission was successful."

"The mages were little trouble this time around," Salaux said. "Not of Takamachi's ilk this time, I reckon."

He tapped Supplice against the floor once more, causing the crystal sphere in it to gleam. **"Put out,"** it spoke.

Light seeped out in a line from the crystal, expanding and molding into the shape of a large, old-fashioned lantern of a dead black metal. A multitude of brilliant ethereal lights hung within its cage as Salaux grabbed hold of it by its handle. The rainbow of color from the stolen Linker Cores danced across the two men's faces, revealing the cold smile on the businessman's face.

Thunder clapped once more as that terrible light lanced down from the black halo.

* * *

><p>Even this far from the Elitrean territories, the bloody desert was too damn hot. With no cloud cover in sight, the sun was relentless as it beat down on the dunes and the cracked dirt of the wasteland. As the cargo train raced through the desert on its rails, the guards lounging and patrolling on top of its metal roof couldn't tell what was worse—that unrelenting sun, or the vibrations of the train cars and the cargo stored away inside of it as it hurtled on towards its destination.<p>

"My bones ain't gonna be able to take much more of this rattling," one of the guards complained to a nearby compatriot.

Roas paid it little attention from where he sat on the edge of the train, just above the big Trigen Pharmaceuticals logo painted on the side of the machine. The baggy tan shirt he wore whipped about in the wind, and he kept Lancel clasped firmly in his hand.

"You know it's a thirty-six hour ride," one of the other guards said gruffly, barely heard over the noise of the train.

Roas frowned. That much was true—Mesia's briefing said that this mission would be uneventful, but unusually long. Trigen Pharmaceuticals had close dealings with the Emeraude group, and, fearing an attack from the Dagenais corporation or one of its subsidiaries after the the assault on Kasuto, had wanted increased protection for one of their cargo transports, one that carried vital medical supplies needed in the more war-torn areas in the civil war.

The pay had been good, and Emil Valare had snapped it up, and here Roas found himself, staring out across a sun-blasted desert with the wind and the rattles of the train rushing in his ears as it raced from Elitrea to other parts of Exavil.

Mesia's face suddenly appeared in front of Roas on a holographic screen, along with an overhead radar image. "I'm detecting a meteorological disturbance in the immediate area," she told him as he opened one eye to view her. The map, highlighted in blues and whites, showed an increasingly large area blanketed in a static-y white color to the south, off the left side of the cargo train. "It looks to be a sandstorm, and it looks to be on a direct course with the transport."

"Is it going to be a problem?" Roas asked, sitting up fully—now that he was sitting upright, he could see it—a splotch of brown and tan off on the horizon, whipping about furiously. The phenomenon seemed to be expanding, like some sort of writhing creature.

"I don't think—wait," Mesia cut off, the sound of something on her terminal carrying over the window. She frowned. "I'm picking something up. There seems to be movement within the storm."

Roas looked about, seeing that the other guards on top of the train were also gesturing to the sandstorm and mobilizing, arming their weaponry and shouting out commands to one another. He frowned. "The others have picked up on that too," he remarked. Lancel chimed from his wrist, detecting his thought processes.

**"Main system: Engaging combat mode."**

"I'm reading high energy levels within the sandstorm, Roas," warned the operator. "Be on your guard."

Roas nodded, raising his Device into the air. "Roger that. Lancel, let's go! Set Up!"

**"Drive Ignition!"**

Green light blazed around the mercenary for a brief moment, soon clearing and revealing his Barrier Jacket to the others with him atop the train. A few of them glanced in his direction, having had little contact with magic before. Roas himself noted some changes; the coat and tabard covering his bodysuit had darkened considerably, and his left arm had a metal band around the upper arm, proudly emblazoned with a symbol he couldn't quite make out. He shot a look down at his Device as it formed around his arm, knowing it was Lancel that made the changes to his Barrier Jacket.

No time to remark on that now, though. The train was heading into a curve, and beginning to intersect with the sandstorm. The guards began swearing as they were plunged into the maelstrom, the sands pelting against their uniforms and getting into their armor and weaponry. The vehicle shuddered along the tracks as Roas' senses went on high alert.

"Shit. Can't see a thing in this mess," one of the men nearby grumbled. "Hey, mage! You got a handy spell to deal with this crap?"

"Not my specialty," was Roas' reply as he opened up a window to analyze the surrounding area. The autobarrier of his Jacket kept the storm from bothering him overly much, but it couldn't help any of the regular men guarding the train with him. Channeling, a runic circle appeared beneath his feet.

**"Detection,"** Lancel announced as several orbs materialized around Roas, spreading out at his silent command. The train car shuddered once more, harder than the last time, but the mercenary ignored it as the map window began to clear with the spell.

He couldn't see much in his mind's eye as the information was relayed back to him. There was a definite magical disturbance in the air, but it was only enough to prevent him from figuring out where the source of movement came from.

The train shuddered again as it raced along a straightaway, and Roas' thought processes ground to a halt.

He spun about, looking over the side of the train car, staring at the ground as it went rushing by. The train shuddered again, more violently than before.

"Shit! Mesia, it's under the ground!" he exclaimed.

"What?! Roas, be careful! I'll alert the others!"

It went too late—something lithe and brown arced up over the machine, smashing a guard in the chest with such force that he was thrown from the car over the other side. He hit the ground and quickly disappeared as the train raced off. Shouts rose up within the defense crew.

"What the hell was that!?"

"Shit!"

"Where's it coming from?!"

"Look out!" Roas shouted as another tendril shot up through the sands, its scythe-tipped end laying open one man's armor and chest. More shot up from the sands, but by then Roas was on the move, his Device reconfiguring into its Slasher Form. His magical energy burst around the blade, forming an emerald sheathe as he pulled the trigger.

**"Riser Sword."**

Bluish-purple ichor splattered both metal and guard as the fired blade sliced through the tentacles, hurling the writhing ends into the air. Startled guards stumbled back, barely regaining their footing in time as the bits and blood was scattered. Roas waved his hand through the air, forming Napalm Shots around the edge of the train, then threw his hand down, launching them into the sands. Explosions tore up clouds of sand, and the ground shuddered as something shifted beneath it, something massive burrowing away from the convoy.

Roas brought up a screen to check the area. Something had forcibly dispelled his Detection array, causing him to curse. "Mesia, can you track it?"

"I'm working on it. Something's jamming the signal, though," she told him. "Be careful. I think something's wrong."

The ground shuddered beneath the train once again. At this rate, it'd tear apart the tracks and wreck the train. "You can say that again," Roas growled, dispelling the window. They were approaching a turn when the machine sped up, trying to outrace whatever was chasing them underground—it seemed to be working. Roas took to the air, and the train raced away beneath him, allowing him to reach the back cars of the train in short order. He forced himself back down from the improvised jump, landing among a few other guards that were nervously aiming their guns over the edge—they'd taken casualties back here too.

Roas sent more Napalm Shots over the edge, detonating the sand and forcing their… assailant, whatever was, back. Sand was being kicked up in an alarming manner, hundreds of small eruptions bursting up beneath the ground. But it was pulling back; the train was outpacing it. Roas marched past the guards, looking down onto one of the flatbed cars and the large drums tied down to it. "What's in the containers?" he demanded, grabbing the nearest person by the shoulder and spinning him about to see what he was pointing Lancel at.

"What? Fuel. Spare fuel in case something went wrong."  
>"Something <em>has<em> gone wrong," Roas said, letting him go and dropping down onto the deck with a loud clang. "We're using them."

Lancel shifted forms, its blade swinging up and locking into place. **"Slasher Form."**

He swung, severing the cabling holding the fuel drums in place. Their weight shifted instantly, the train's run along the curving tracks quickly shaking them off their holding racks. Roas helped it along, lifting up a booted foot and slamming it hard against the base barrel, causing a chain reaction that sent the rest of the fuel drums hurtling off the train, scattering into the sound with great metallic clangs as they banged against one another. Roas grinned ruthlessly as they bounced straight for the mass that was chasing them through the sands.

Lancel reverted back to its Cannon Form as he took aim and gathered his mana, running the calculations through his head. Pale green light formed in front of the Device, gathering strength. A green hue formed in the mercenary's vision as he locked on to the damaged barrels, and pulled the trigger.

**"Aura Strafe."**

The beam lanced out and struck the center barrel almost immediately, and the reaction was instantaneous. Fuel ignited, causing fire to burst out in all directions. Shrapnel tore into the other barrels, exposing the fuel. It quickly burst into a massive explosion, the shockwave nearly dislodging the guards from their posts atop the train.

An unearthly shriek tore through the air as something massive, sinewy and brown, erupted from the explosion. Sunlight gleamed off of massive plates of chitin that surrounded the ring-like mouth of the creature, a flailing mass of tentacles whipping about along the beast's spine. It writhed in the air before crashing down into the sand, giving Roas a perfect view of the thousands of teeth lining the inside of its mouth, and the glaring yellow eyes that stared right back at him.

For a brief, panicky moment, the mercenary could swear that the creature knew he had been the one to cause the explosion.

It shrieked again, and a hundred different tentacles dove into the ground in some kind of alien scooping motion, pulling the gigantic worm at speeds that didn't seem possible for its massive girth.

"What the hell is that thing!?" a younger guard shrieked, terrified at the sight of the creature.

"Mesia, what's going on?!" Roas demanded, gathering up more projectiles. "Are these things native to this planet!?"

It was a moment before the woman responded. "They're rare, but Scarlet Dragons _can_ be found on Exavil, Roas!" Mesia said, her voice in a hurry. "But this one seems too far from where they typically reside!"

"That means it's a trap," Roas growled.

Red-brown carapace undulated through the sands, propelling the beast forward at the train. As its sucker-like mouth burst from the ground again, it let out another horrifying screech.

"It's coming!" someone shouted.

"Take it down!" another commanded, probably their captain. All at once, men raised up their mass drivers and opened fire, sending flechettes hurtling at the beast, punching into the creature's thick carapace. Roas manifested more magic bullets and hurled them at the beast, hoping to do more damage. It barreled through the explosions as if they were nothing. Within moments it had caught up to them, throwing its sinewy body against the train. The vessel rocked on the tracks, causing Roas and the other guards to stagger with the movement.

"That thing's going to wreck the train if it keeps that up!" the man's voice shouted over someone's transceiver. "Get that thing away from us, you idiots!"

The captain who had shouted approached Roas, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You better have a plan to kill that thing, mage!" he yelled to be heard over the rush of the train. "This thing can't take much more abuse!"

This didn't sound like the usual anger of someone catching another screwing up on the job. The mercenary stared back, frowning. "There's a problem," he said over the wind. It was not a question.

The captain nodded. "Some of that medical crap in this train is volatile," he explained to him. "And Medical Mechanica is paying me enough money to make me care about what happens to it! If that monster ruptures something in there, we're all dead, mage!"

Roas turned away from him, nodding. Little wonder why the company had wanted a mercenary mage for an escort. Once more he lifted up his Device.

**"Napalm Shot."**

"Fire!" Roas shouted, pulling the trigger on Lancel. Green bullets shot through the air at the Scarlet Dragon's body, only for various blurs to flash up from the side of the train, slapping the shots away. Roas watched in surprise as they hurled past, off into the desert, his control over them disrupted. _What the hell just happened!?_ he thought in shock. Since when did creatures like this have that much power over magic?

The creature roared, its head rising up over the transport before it lunged at the mercenary, teeth skittering in its mouth as it tried to devour him. Biting off a curse, Roas took to the air, shooting up over the creature's mouth before accelerating to keep up with the train—and the worm—before both could leave him in the dust. From his new vantage point, he could see as mass driver flechettes pounded away at the Scarlet Dragon's hide, and the beast shrugged it off, pulling away from the train. Seeing his chance, the mercenary hurled more Napalm Shots down at the beast. Explosions kicked up sand as the beast growled and dove, burying itself once more.

He brought up a holographic screen to communicate with Mesia. "Is it leaving?" he asked, keeping his eyes down at the train.

"Seismic activity suggests otherwise," replied the operator. "It's likely searching for a new angle to attack from.

"Any idea on how to kill this thing then?"

There were several moments of silence on her end as she brought up information on the beast from the extranet. In that time, Roas saw clouds of sand beginning to kick up near the train again, further up and on the opposite side. He accelerated and landed among the middle cars, and he and the men nearby turned their attention and weapons onto it.

"Scarlet Dragons have tough carapaces, but magic should be able to pierce through it," Mesia soon informed him. "Try using Lancel's blade to cut into it at various locations. An attack that damages enough of its body all at once should kill it!"

"Here it comes!"

The creature erupted from the sands once more, tube-like mouth open in a skittering roar as it pulled its bulk through the dunes towards them, numerous tentacles diving in and out of the sands to pull it along. Its head lurched forward obscenely as it closed in on the train.

Lancel's blade swung up and locked into place, becoming alight with green-colored magic as the other guards lifted up their mass drivers and opened fire. The beast ignored the shots chewing into its caparace and lunged into range, throwing its head and its tentacles forward at them. Roas shot into the air to meet them head-on, swinging his Device and slicing through the offending limbs as he shot past the creature's face. Bits of chitin hurled through the air as the blade carved a long gouge through it, and the beast shrieked—a battle cry, or pain, Roas couldn't tell—but it made the guards cringe from the noise.

The mercenary swung back around to attack again, racing at the creature's back. More tentacles shot up from beneath the carapace to meet him, and he swerved through them, channeling and throwing a volley of Napalm Shots at the beast's head. The Scarlet Dragon's was engulfed in a pale eruption of light, but soon burst out of it with a roar, shoving its head down back into the sands. Its body writhed as it followed, arching and smashing into the train car. The unearthly sound of torn metal rent the air as the vessel rocked on its tracks, its frame being torn open by the creature's serrated carapace. One unfortunate guard staggered and was thrown from the rooftop, disappearing into a cloud of sand and writhing tentacles before the train settled and straightened out.

Roas shot forward, accelerating to keep up with the train as it came around another bend in the tracks. Sweat rolled across his face as he flew, zeroing in on the disturbance in the sand that informed him of the next attack. The worm burst up from the ground with a roar, well ahead of the train, and began flexing its body in waves, causing its unusual crest and spines to expand unnaturally. Roas spat dust out of his mouth and channeled, forming a runic circle under his feet and gathering energy in front of Lancel as it returned to Cannon Form.

He pulled the trigger. **"Aura Strafe."**

Green light lanced out at the beast, moving too fast for it to dive back beneath the safety of the desert sands. It smashed into its thorax, erupting into a brilliant explosion that quickly swallowed the Scarlet Dragon. Within moments it reappeared, snarling and unharmed as it charged at the train. Tendrils shot through the air at Roas as he banked away, scoring him twice across his side before he could escape. "What the hell!?" he exclaimed as he saw the beast scrape against the side of the traincars before disappearing beneath the sand again. "That didn't even phase him!"

"Roas, I detected a shield being cast at the last moment when you attacked!" Mesia's voice alerted him.

"Someone's _covering_ for that thing?" Roas demanded, looking ill at the thought of the creature having mage back-up.

Mesia shook her head negative, though. "No, Roas, I detected it coming _from_ the Scarlet Dragon! It's actually casting spells!" she told him.

"What? That's impossible!"

"Something's not right here, Roas. Be careful!"

The mercenary bit off a curse and accelerated to catch up with the train, glancing at its side to check the damage. The machine was built tougher than he thought, but it wouldn't last very long if the worm continued to attack. And if it was using magic…

**"Slasher Form."**

Lancel's blade flipped and locked into place just as the beast erupted from the sands, and Roas was already hurtling down to meet it head on. He swung hard, throwing all his strength into a cutting blow at the creature's eye, only for it to meet a blue-white shield in the familiar runic crest of Mid-Childa. Thunder crashed as the blade struck, trying to pierce through, but it was to no avail—clawed tentacles were swooping in, and the mercenary pulled back and spun, cleaving through them before they could get close. The beast lunged forward, its body squirming rapidly beneath the mercenary as more of its tentacles rushed up to attack.

He ducked and weaved, evaded the bladed instruments and shot into the air as the Scarlet Dragon burrowed past. Roas generated more Napalm Shots and hurled them back down at the worm, trying to harry the beast into retreating. But it only pushed on, shrugging off the explosions as it hurled its tendrils at the mage and the guards. This time he could see the shields it generated to defend against the attack. This… something like this couldn't be a Scarlet Dragon.

What in the hell was he fighting against?

Suddenly, half of the tendrils that flailed about the creature went rigid, their bladed ends all aimed outwards. Warning bells went off in Roas' head; something changed. He banked away from the creature, diving towards the sands. And just in time, too: brilliant lances of energy burst up from the tentacles, tearing through the sky at the area he had just been in.

"Tch!"

This thing was showing off new abilities by the minute. He had to kill this thing, and quick, or else it'd tear the whole damn train apart. Roas threw himself forward, accelerating past the Scarlet Dragon and its attacks, leaving exploding Napalm Shots in his wake as he twisted through the beast's own projectiles. Lancel shifted forms and he suddenly decelerated, his form slipping past the rampaging beast and the train as his magic-sheathed blade ripped into its carapace, too fast for the worm to react—it screeched in rage, disengaging and diving back underneath the sand. Roas quickly accelerated once more, rushing to catch up with the speeding train, preparing for the next counterattack—he could see the transport shuddering from the quakes of the Scarlet Dragon's movements beneath the ground.

But instead of the worm bursting up from the sound with a shriek, tentacles instead shot upwards, ensnaring him around a leg. He let out a curse and twisted about as more shot around his waist and throat, binding him in place as the worm followed up after it—looks like he'd finally pissed it off enough to get it after him directly. "You—little—!" he choked out as another limb wrapped around his arm and Lancel, constricting painfully to make sure he couldn't cut his way free.

"Roas! Look out!" Mesia's voice screamed over the communications.

His gaze shot up just in time to see the more of the tentacles hurtling in; he threw all his energy into flight to try and break free. The bladed limbs tore into his barrier jacket and into the flesh of his side, narrowly missing a fatal blow. How had he…? Ah, right—the creature was still giving chase to the train; it couldn't devote all its energy into holding him down to kill him. "Let go you little bastard!" he snarled, yanking with his right arm, trying to free himself. Twice more the beast struck, lashing out with the serrated tips on its tentacles to lay open his Barrier Jacket and the skin beneath. Blood seeped into the magically-woven fabrics, causing it to stick uncomfortably to his wounds.

Gunfire suddenly cut through the air beside him, and mass driver flechettes smashed into the side of the Scarlet Dragon near where it held Roas captive. He bit off a curse as one of them came uncomfortably close to his head, and pulled, wrenched—then got the wind knocked out of him as something exploded in front of him. The rocket threw fire everywhere, burning through several of the tentacles and cauterizing the wounds before they could spray ichor all over him. His body rocked back from the shockwave, narrowly protected by his autobarrier, and renewed his struggles—within moments, Lancel came free and channeled.

**"Riser Slash."**

The energy sheath blazed through the tendrils surrounding his legs and waist, and Roas was free, pulling away from the enraged beast to land on the train, where the guards were busy reloading their bazooka for the next attack. The Scarlet Dragon was wounded, its carapace gouged and torn, its tentacles incinerated, but it showed no sign of giving up the chase. It lunged again, and its ridged shell once more cut into the train, causing it to rock on the tracks and force everyone to regain their balance.

"How the hell are we gonna kill that thing?!" one of the guards demanded, his nerve lost at fighting such a menacing creature.

"Lancel," Roas said, bringing the Device up to bear. "Think we have a shot at Mesia's plan? Hitting it enough spots all at once?"

**"Affirmative, comrade."**

A runic circle burst out from beneath him. "Then let's go!" Roas shouted, generating Napalm Shots around him. He hurled them forward, detonating them around the worm's face and warding it off from its incoming attack.

"Hold it off!" he ordered, generating more projectiles. "Keep it from attacking again!"

Another rocket was launched at the beast, and it exploded harmlessly against its magic shield. Flechettes and Napalm Shots followed after it, detonating into a massive wall of energy. The rampaging worm recoiled from the attacks, releasing a screech that was cut off as it burrowed into the sand once more to escape the heat. The ground rumbled beneath the train, causing everyone to try and retain their balance once more.

"Damn thing won't give up, will it!?"

"They don't pay us enough for this shit."

"Quit your bellyachin'! Get ready for when that thing comes back!"

_I have to kill it now. If the train takes any more damage, we're all dead. What can I do?_ Roas pondered. His grip on Lancel tightened as he mentally scanned through all of the ranged spells he knew of. There was only one that he knew that could kill the creature in a single attack. _Void Cascade… Can I use it, though?!_

No, it wouldn't work. The amount of mana he'd need to build up was too much for the time they had. He couldn't be sure that he'd get a direct hit on the beast without obliterating the train in the process, if the wild track path didn't ruin his aim in the first place. He clenched his teeth in frustration. There had to be another way!

The ground shook once more, causing the damaged transport to shudder beneath everyone's feet. The beast was returning. Roas brought his Device up, ready to attack, when the beast suddenly lurched up from the sands beside the train car he stood on. Its body arched over the transport, nearly slamming it off of its rails as the serrated edge of its carapace tore into its side and out through its roof. A mass of shell and flesh followed as the beast dove into the sand on the other side of the transport, and the guards began to flee, screaming curses and pleas as they tried to get to the car further up. Roas cursed as he realized what the Scarlet Dragon was trying to accomplish and took to the air, grabbing the guard captain by the cuff of his shirt.

Just in time, too. The man's curses were cut short as the worm burst up once more, its teeth skittering and its tentacles writhing as it lunged over the train, clearly going in to constrict it. "The hell is it doing!?" the captain demanded.

"It's going to destroy the train," was the mercenary's reply. He landed and threw the captain back onto the train car, ignoring his squawk of indignation as he channeled his magical energy into more spells. A dozen Napalm Shots manifested around him just as the beast dropped its weight down upon the machine.

The scream of torn metal obliterated their hearing, and the men standing on the train were thrown off their feet by the shock of creature landing atop the train—many bounced off the metal roof, falling into the sands below and disappearing in the wake of the Scarlet Dragon's onslaught. The tracks underneath were torn to shreds as the remainder of its coiled body still pushed through the dunes, forcing it along with the now-slowing train.

Roas was lucky to take to the air when he did. Nearly half of the men had been thrown off in that attack. From his vantage point, he could see the captured train car beginning to buckle as the beast constricted. Metal screamed where the undamaged part of the train's wheels bit into the tracks, the sound piercing through the survivors' skulls. Shakily, they took up arms again, aiming and open firing at the creature. The rounds bounded uselessly off of more Round Shields it summoned, and shrieked in an alien manner. Roas dove forward and thrust Lancel forward, hurling his spells at the beast to break through its defenses.

The attack did little more than anger it, and once more, it freed some of its tentacles. Particles of magic gathered into its own projectiles, and soon waves of energy were hurling through the air, forcing the mercenary to duck and weave around them. He channeled more Napalm Shots, hurled them at the beast, but to no avail—even as it turned itself into a massive anti-air flak cannon, the Scarlet Dragon diverted none of its magical reserves from its shields; an impossible feat.

At this rate, he had two options. _But if I miss with Void Cascade, we're screwed,_ Roas thought. It was too big a risk.

Beneath him, the train lurched—up ahead, the main engine picked up speed, trying to prevent the beast from slowing it down further and derailing the whole thing; it was a miracle it hadn't toppled already. Roas was left no other choice.

A communication to Mesia opened up. "What's in the car that bastard's crawling over?!" he demanded, causing her to jump.

"W-What?"

"The car, Mesia! They told me there's dangerous chemicals on board; are they in there or not?!"

Mesia swallowed and looked down at her screens, her hands flying over the keyboard as she used the Leganza shuttle's sensors to scan the train. "Yes, they're in there and the car behind it! Roas, what're you doing?"

Roas ignored her question as he flew backwards, keeping pace with the train. "Lancel, get ready! We're killing that thing right here, right now!"

**"Roger, comrade!"**

Roas switched directions, bolting forward—his autobarrier deflected a stray energy blast and he dove around a second, swinging his Device out to his side. Lancel reconfigured, its form molding itself while the underslung blade swept around into its Slasher Form. Roas calculated and channeled, generating a Riser Slash and using it to smash away another projectile.

The beast's face lunged, its teeth chattering as it tried to swallow him whole. It only bit into a section of the forward car, tearing a chunk of metal away as he dove and dug his feet into the front of the next car. Twisting around, he swung his arm, and the train lurched once more, suddenly pulling free as its coupling was severed in twain.

Tentacles hurled in at its prey, and one clawed end tore through his autobarrier and barrier jacket, sending blood flying into the dust before Roas could escape and give chase after the train. Cursing and gripping the wound, Roas accelerated, twisting himself around and away from the worm's return fire. Within moments, he was back at the train, which was rapidly pulling away from the Scarlet Dragon. The beast screamed in rage as it began to untangle its body from the train, but Roas would have none of it.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled, landing atop the back of the train. A runic circle burst out from beneath his feet, and Lancel reconfigured, its blade swinging back underneath his arm. Energy gathered around a targeting ring in front of his Device's barrel, and Napalm Shots burst up around it. "Time to die, you son of a-!"

**"Aura Strafe!"** Lancel announced, and he pulled the trigger. Two dozen Napalm Shots swarmed around a piercing lance of green light that crossed the distance in an instant. The beam punched through the front end of the car, and the Napalm Shots shot under and around the Scarlet Dragon, foregoing exploding against its shields uselessly in order to slip into the ruptures the beast had made of its frame. They all came together and detonated.

The result was instantaneous—the entire train car was completely obliterated in a spectacular explosion of green light and yellow-orange fire. The Scarlet Dragon screamed once, cutting off a second later as the shrapnel from the train cut through its shields and its carapace, mincing its body into pieces. The shockwave further mulched its soft insides, sending bits of metal and hunks of orange-gray meat hurtling through the air.

A cry of victory and survival rose up from the other guards as they saw the beast's death. Their captain was sent muttering at the loss of his men and the destruction of a good portion of the train and the supplies carried within, and Roas remained silent, glaring at the column of smoke that was quickly disappearing into the horizon.

A communication screen appeared once more, and Mesia's face appeared before him, frantic. "Roas! Are you alright?" she asked, distraught. He nodded to her.

"I'm here. That thing's dead, and the train's intact. Mostly."

That made her wince. There was little doubt in either of their minds that Leganza Tech Enterprises would have to cover the cost of the damages and the lost equipment and supplies.

The guard captain was coming up behind him. "What the hell was that thing, mage?" he demanded, looking angry—he'd lost a lot of good men in that fight. "I've heard of those worms before, but I ain't ever heard of one of them doing crap like that!"

Roas shook his head. He had no answer for that—all Scarlet Dragons had innate magical ability, but more often than not their Linker Core was small and with their questionable sentience, their magical talent and was so poor most people were certain they couldn't even use the most basic of spellcrafting. Certainly nothing on the level of what that… _thing_… had accomplished. It wasn't natural.

**"Mission complete,"** Lancel spoke, text scrolling across its interface crystal. **"System switched to normal mode."**

The train rattled beneath their feet as it hurtled on to its destination, leaving Roas and Mesia with plenty of questions, and no answers in sight.


End file.
